Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)

Sunday, 6 June 2010 0 comments
Despite the growing trend of smartphones in the country, AT&T has maintained its commitment to the messaging handset market, claiming that there's a huge market for so-called "smartphone lite" devices. As part of this, AT&T has launched a number of what it calls "quick messaging phones," one of which is the Pantech Pursuit. It's Pantech's first-ever touch-screen phone with a sliding keyboard, and we have to say, we're impressed. Despite its toylike appearance, the Pursuit is quite sleek, with unique features like shake and gesture controls in addition to a solid set of multimedia offerings. The Pursuit is available for a very affordable $49.99 with a two-year service agreement, and we think it would make a great phone for a teenager or young adult.
Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)
Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)
Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)
Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)

Design

At first glance, the Pantech Pursuit looks a little bit like a Fisher-Price toy, or perhaps a grown-up version of the LG MiGo. Indeed, measuring 3.6 inches long by 2.5 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick, the Pursuit has an adorably chubby and compact design. Yet, the textured casing on the front bezel and the back cover makes the Pursuit feel a tad more grown up than that. It also feels nice and sturdy in the hand. The front surface is very reflective and shiny, so much so that you can use it as a mirror when the phone is on standby.
Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)

The Pantech Pursuit has a cute playful design.

The front of the Pursuit is dominated by a 2.8-inch touch-screen display. The size of the screen is certainly smaller than most other touch-screen handsets, but we found it surprisingly usable. We absolutely love how colorful and crisp the screen looks, thanks to the 262,000-color support and the 320x240-pixel resolution. We like the clean and well-rendered text, and the choice of graphic icons and fonts is commendable. You can adjust the backlight time, the brightness, the menu theme, and the font style.
Like a lot of other touch-screen phones, you get three different home screens that you can flip through by swiping your finger to the left or right. Two of the Pursuit's home screens are customizable--one for your favorite application shortcuts, and one for your favorite contacts. Along the bottom row of each of the Pursuit's home screens are shortcuts to the phone dialer, the contacts list, the message in-box, and the main menu. The menu interface is quite extensive, with three pages of applications and functions by default.
The Pursuit has a resistive display, so you do need to apply a bit more pressure in order for your touch to register. Still, we found it surprisingly responsive--it takes less than a second for the screen to react. You can also go through a touch calibration wizard to improve your accuracy, and the Pursuit offers haptic vibration feedback as well.
The phone dialer is as you might expect--it offers a large virtual keypad with big digits that are easy enough to press. As for text-messaging, you can opt for either a virtual keyboard or Graffiti handwriting recognition, but we would rather use the physical keyboard for faster typing. The Pursuit also has a Drawing Commander application that will let you launch certain applications or functions based on certain Graffiti-like finger gestures. For example, you can map "a" for the Address book and "m" for the music player. We didn't find this that helpful, but your mileage may vary.
Aside from the touch screen, the Pursuit also has an accelerometer and a unique "shake" control that you can configure for a number of different functions. You trigger it by pressing a multitasking button on the side and then shaking the phone once, twice, or three times--the number of shakes corresponds to a user-defined function. For example, you can map one shake to launch the music player, and two shakes to launch the browser. We admit it's a little gimmicky, but we do think it has genuine practical use. We especially like it for snoozing the alarm clock, for example.
Underneath the display are touch-sensitive keys for the Send, Clear, and End keys. We generally prefer physical keys when it comes to these oft-used buttons, especially since there's a danger of accidentally making or ending a call. On the left spine are the microSD card slot and the volume rocker while the headset/charger jack, the aforementioned multitasking key, power/screen lock key, and dedicated camera key are on the right. If you hold down the multitasking key, you'll be presented with a pop-up box of open applications plus a task manager. The camera lens is on the back.
Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)

The Pantech Pursuit has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The display slides to the right to reveal a full four-row QWERTY keyboard. The sliding mechanism feels smooth and locks securely into place. The keyboard seems deceptively diminutive at first glance, but it's actually quite spacious thanks to the large keys. The keys are distinctly delineated from each other, and the raised bubblelike feel of the keys make it easy to quickly type out a message. Indeed, the keyboard on the Pursuit is possibly one of our favorites of the year.
Features

The Pantech Pursuit has a 600-entry phone book with room in each entry for six numbers, three e-mail addresses, a company name, a messenger user name, a Web address, three street addresses, a birthdate, an anniversary date, and a note. You can also add a photo for caller ID, assign a contact to a caller group, configure a speed-dial number, and pair him or her with a custom ringtone--you have eight default ringtones and eight alert tones to choose from.
Basic features include vibrate mode, a speakerphone, an alarm clock, a calendar, a world clock, a calculator, a tip calculator, a unit converter, a stopwatch, and a timer. You also get voice command, a voice memo recorder, a sketchpad, Bluetooth, and GPS with AT&T Navigator support. As we hinted above, the Pursuit also has the ability to multitask among open apps. However, you can have only up to three open apps at any one time.
As with the Pantech Link, the Pursuit is blessed with the att.net HTML browser, which is based on Opera. You can indeed view full HTML pages with the browser, but the small screen size does mean you won't get a true Web experience. You can read more about this browser in our review of the Pantech Reveal.
The Pursuit also offers support for AT&T's new cloud services like AT&T Address Book, which lets you store messages and contacts in the cloud, and AT&T Online Locker, where you can store photos and videos in the cloud as well. You can also transfer them to popular online photo sharing sites like Photobucket via AT&T's MobileShare. Note that you only get 250MB of online storage, and the file transfer isn't free--it's around 35 cents per transfer, or $10 for 50 transfers. There's a 10MB file size cap as well.
AT&T is clearly thinking of the Pursuit as a youth-friendly device, as they also introduced several social networking features in the phone. There's AT&T SocialNet, which acts as a hub for all the popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter. If you're a Facebook or MySpace fan, however, you might want to opt for the dedicated apps for those two services also available on the Pursuit.
The Pursuit is billed as a messaging phone, so you'll get the whole range of messaging features like text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging, and mobile e-mail. To get mobile e-mail, you need to launch a Web-connected app, and after that you can configure it to get email from several web mail providers like Yahoo and Windows Live, in addition to your own POP or IMAP servers.
Since the Pursuit has 3G, this gives it access to AT&T's array of broadband services. They include Mobile Video and Mobile Music. The latter acts as a music one-stop-shop with features like XM Radio Mobile, a song ID app called Shazam, a ringtone creator, music videos, and access to music fan sites. You can also purchase and download music over the air from Napster or eMusic for around $1 per song. The music player on the Pursuit is decent--you get the typical playlist creation tool as well as repeat and shuffle mode. You can store music via a microSD card--the Pursuit supports up to 16GB cards.

Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)

The Pantech Pursuit has a 2.0-megapixel camera on the back.

The 2.0-megapixel camera on the Pursuit can take pictures in three resolutions, and three quality settings. Other camera settings include a self-timer, color effects, white balance, geotagging, plus timer and shutter sounds. The camera also has six special-effect modes--normal, smile detection, self-portrait mode (it'll beep once it detects your face), blink detection, face detection, and panorama stitching. Photo quality is actually surprisingly good for a 2.0-megapixel camera. The images look crisp overall and though the colors are a little blue for our liking, it's still quite good. The Pursuit has a built-in camcorder as well, which can shoot in either 176x144- or 320x240-pixel resolution, and you can also stream live one-way video via AT&T's Video Share.

Pantech Pursuit (AT&T)

The Pantech Pursuit takes pretty good pictures.


Thanks to the AT&T AppCenter, you can easily customize the Pursuit with a variety of graphics, ringtones, games, and apps. The phone comes with a few by default--YPMobile (Yellow Pages), Where, AT&T FamilyMap locator, MobiTV, AllSport GPS, My-Cast Weather, Mobile Banking, FunScreenz, PicDial, Hip Hop Official, Movies Powered by IMDB, Tetris, Diner Dash Flo, Bubble Bash 2, TextTwist 2, and Rolling with Katamari Damacy.
Performance

We tested the Pantech Pursuit in San Francisco using the AT&T Wireless. Call quality was above average, but nothing spectacular. On our end, we heard our callers very clearly, but the experience was slightly marred by the occasional static blip and hiss.
On their end, callers said they could hear us loud and clear--unfortunately they could hear a lot of background noise as well. They reported quite a lot of echo, even in a relatively quiet office environment. Voice quality sounded harsh as well. Fortunately, speakerphone quality wasn't too bad--they said it was similar to when we were not on the speakerphone.
Music playback quality over the phone's tinny speakers isn't the best, but it's loud enough for occasional use. We tested it with the MotoRokr S9 HD stereo Bluetooth headphones, which sounded a lot better.
We experienced pretty good 3G speeds with the Pursuit. We downloaded a 1.6 MB song in 40 seconds and loaded CNET's mobile page in around 24 seconds. Streaming video didn't take too much buffering either.
We don't yet know the battery life and SAR for the Pursuit, but we'll update this review with that information shortly.
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iPhone triples Android in mobile market share

The battle between Apple and Google in the mobile space has been heating up lately, but new market share numbers from research firm Nielsen show the race isn't even close.
According to a report released late Friday that compares the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, Apple's

iPhone OS has more than triple the market share Google's Android operating system has. Nielsen puts the iPhone OS market share at 28 percent, while Android's is at 9 percent.
The numbers put Apple in second place behind BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, which has a 35 percent share. In third place is Microsoft Windows Mobile with 19 percent, followed by Google, Palm (4 percent), Linux (3 percent), and Symbian (2 percent).
Apple and Google both moved up by 2 percent in the first quarter of 2010. In the same period, RIM and Microsoft both lost 2 percent market share.




The study also shows that iPhone and Android users are very loyal to their brands. Nielsen says 80 percent of iPhone users want their next device to run the iPhone OS and 70 percent of Android users want another Android phone. Those numbers drop to 47 percent and 34 percent for RIM and Windows Mobile, respectively.




Overall, Nielsen says the smartphone market has grown considerably. In the second quarter of 2009 smartphones accounted for 16 percent of the total mobile phone market, while in the first quarter of 2010 they accounted for 23 percent of the market.


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LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)

Friday, 4 June 2010 0 comments
Though LG has made Android phones for a while, they were always for the European and Asian markets. The LG Ally, however, marks the first LG Android phone to hit U.S. shores. There's nothing too new with the Ally, but we think LG did a great job here. The display is very nice, we love the slide-out keyboard, and the performance is great. We also really appreciate that it comes with the latest Android OS build, Android 2.1, right out of the gate. The LG Ally has a very impressive price tag of $99.99 as long as you sign up for a new two-year agreement with

LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)
 LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)
 LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)
 LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)
Design
Verizon Wireless. DesignAt first glance, the LG Ally's design reminds us a lot of LG feature phones like the LG EnV Touch. Like the EnV Touch, the Ally is blocky and rectangular and is wrapped in a black and silver casing. It measures 4.56 inches long by 2.22 inches wide by 0.62 inch thick, and has ergonomic curves and angles along its sides, so it feels comfortable in the hand. At 5.57 ounces, the Ally is no lightweight, but it's still lighter than both the Motorola Devour and the Motorola Droid. The weight also contributes to the Ally's sturdy feel.

This is the LG Ally next to the Motorola Droid.

We have no complaints about the Ally's stunning 3.2-inch touch-screen display. Made out of tempered glass, the TFT display has 262,000 colors plus an 800x480-pixel resolution, resulting in really crisp and vibrant images. It looks great under bright sunlight as well.
We found the capacitive display to be very responsive. You have the option of adding haptic feedback as well, which makes the phone vibrate as confirmation that your touch has registered. Other options include a backlight timer, brightness, and the wallpaper. You can even have "live" animated wallpaper if you wish. There's also an accelerometer and a proximity sensor.
The interface on the LG Ally is that of the standard Android UI; there's no custom interface here like you would expect from HTC or Samsung. Like with the Nexus One, it's pretty easy and intuitive; you get up to five home screens that you can customize with widgets and shortcuts, and the main menu is laid out in a simple cascading grid. The phone dialer is easy to use, and if you don't want to use the physical keyboard, you are free to use the Android virtual keyboard, too.
Underneath the display are two touch-sensor keys for the Back and the Search functions. Below those are four physical keys--the Call, Home, menu pop-up, and End/Power keys--laid out in a slight curve. The volume rocker and charger jack are on the left spine, and the right is home to the microSD card slot and dedicated camera button. A 3.5mm headset jack sits on the top with the camera lens and LED flash on the back.


The LG Ally has a full QWERTY keyboard.

When you slide the display to the right, you'll reveal a four-row QWERTY keyboard. The screen automatically adjusts from portrait to landscape mode when that happens. We're really big fans of the keyboard, much more so than the keyboard on the Droid. It's roomy, there's a dedicated number row, and the keys are a good size. They're raised above the surface and are separate and distinct from each other, resulting in a super tactile feel that allowed us to type with speed. Also on the right of keyboard is a square navigation toggle, which is a nice alternative to just using the touch screen. Features
If you've used other Android 2.1 devices before, you'll be very familiar with what the LG Ally offers. Of course you get seamless integration with Google applications like Gmail, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Maps with Google Maps Navigation, and YouTube. Other features include text and multimedia messaging, visual voice mail, speech-to-text recognition, voice commands, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, and stereo Bluetooth. You also get the standard Android browser, which we love. You can double tap to zoom in and out, but there's no pinch to zoom like on the iPhone. Of course, as this is an Android phone, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the Android Marketplace, where you can download many more apps and games.If you're a fan of social networking, the LG Ally also comes with the LG Socialite app. It essentially syncs your Twitter and Facebook contacts with your Google contacts, and provides easy access to both services via a custom user interface that lets you easily check the latest updates and messages from either service. Business users will be happy with the LG Ally. We were able to set up a variety of e-mail accounts on here, including a Gmail, one of course, and we could sync to our corporate Exchange server, which allows us to sync our Outlook calendar and contacts as well. For document editing and reading, Microsoft QuickOffice comes standard with the Ally.
If you want a bit of fun with your phone, the Ally won't disappoint you there either. It comes with a music player that's similar to the one on other Android phones. You can create and edit playlists, plus there are the usual repeat and shuffle modes. You can easily purchase and download new songs via the Amazon MP3 Store. The Ally has 512MB of internal memory, but it accepts up to 16GB of removable storage via a microSD card. Even though the LG Ally is a Verizon device, we didn't see any apps for V Cast streaming video or V Cast Music with Rhapsody. To be honest, we didn't really miss them since we can use the browser for simple Flash Lite videos and we can get music from the Amazon MP3 Store anyway. Still, it would've been nice to have.



The LG Ally has a 3.2-megapixel camera and flash LED on the back.
We were quite pleased with the LG Ally's 3.2-megapixel camera. It can take pictures in five resolutions and three quality settings. Other options include five scene modes, five white-balance presets, eight color effects, a self-timer, four shutter sounds plus a silent option, and five special shot modes that include Panorama Shot and Smile Shot, which automatically detects smiles. There's also zoom, flash, and a macro focus mode.


The LG Ally takes OK but not great pictures.

With all this customization, we wished the photo quality would be better. Image quality was decent, but not great. Colors looked good but images just didn't look as crisp as we would like. After taking photos, you can geotag them and upload them to a variety of photo-sharing sites like Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, and more. There's also a built-in video recorder that can record in three resolutions (640x480 pixels, 320x240 pixels, and 176x144 pixels) with similar settings to the still camera. MMS storage is capped at a minute long, whereas the normal mode lets you shoot for as much as available memory holds.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900 Mhz) LG Ally in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless. Call quality was good for the most part, though we did have a few minor issues. On our end, we heard our callers loud and clear without any static or distortion. We enjoyed good signal strength, too. However, their voice quality was rather hollow, as if they were calling from inside a tunnel.
Callers reported the same thing from their end. They said we sounded perfectly fine with good volume, but it was as if we were talking from inside a tin can. When we turned on the speakerphone, callers reported a bit more echo and the voice quality was more muffled as well. On our end, the speakerphone quality was fine, but the tinny quality persisted.
Music quality was average. The external speaker provided tinny yet loud audio quality. We would definitely recommend a headset for better quality, especially since the Ally has a 3.5mm headset jack so you can use your own headset.
The LG Ally has a 600Mhz processor, and we found it to be good enough for our needs. There was very little lag time even when we were running multiple applications. The EV-DO Rev A. speed was impressive as well. The CNET home page loaded in around 20 seconds; we downloaded a song from Amazon in just 40 seconds. Though some of the Flash video we watched looked rather choppy, there was little to no buffering time. The Ally has a rated battery life of 7.5 hours talk time and 20.8 days standby time. According to the FCC, it has a digital SAR of 1.36 watts per kilogram.

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Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 (silver)

The Handycam DCR-SR68 is Sony's entry-level hard-drive-based standard-definition camcorder. The main attractions are its small size, large storage capacity, and megazoom lens, all at a sub-$350 price. It's also fairly easy to use out of the box; despite what is seemingly a never-ending menu system, there aren't a lot of shooting options. However, as with most camcorders in its class, the video results are mediocre--especially if you're watching them full screen on a large HDTV or are used to the detail of high-definition content.
If you're not terribly concerned with video quality and want a reasonably priced camcorder that's easy to use, has a megazoom lens, and can fit in a coat pocket, this Sony is worth checking out. If 80GB of storage isn't enough for you, spend $50 more on the DCR-SR88, which is identical to the SR68, but has a 120GB hard drive.
Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 (silver)
Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 (silver)
Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 (silver)
Key specs Sony Handycam DCR-SR68/SR88
Price (MSRP) SR68, $349.99; SR88, $399.99
Dimensions (HWD) 2.2x2.6x4.1 inches
Weight (with battery and media)11 ounces
Storage capacity, type SR68, 80GB hard drive; SR88, 120GB hard drive; Memory Stick Pro Duo, SD/SDHC cards
Resolution, sensor size, type 680K pixels, 1/8-inch CCD
LCD size, resolution 2.7-inch LCD, 230K pixels (touch screen)
Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) 60x, f1.8-6.0, 39-2,340mm (16:9), 44-2,640mm (4:3) (35mm equivalent)
Minimum illumination 3 lux (1/30-second shutter speed)
File format (video, audio) MPEG-2 (.MPG), Dolby Digital 2-channel stereo
Resolution (video/photo) 720x480 (9Mbps)/640x480
Recording time at highest quality 20 hours and 33 minutes
Image stabilization type Electronic
Battery type, rated life (typical) Li ion rechargeable, 45 minutes
Included software Sony Picture Motion Browser (Windows only)

Available in blue, silver, and red versions, the SR68/SR88 (the SR88 is silver only) is an attractive little camcorder. Its physical controls are textbook camcorder design with a start/stop button at the back and zoom rocker up top in front of a shutter release for snapshots in Photo mode. The whole package is roughly the size of a soda can. The hand strap is comfortable if a little low and because hard drives have become so small and light, there's barely a bump encasing it, making the body mostly lens. On the top left of the hard drive is a small door hiding a power input. The battery gets charged while attached to the camcorder.
The battery juts from the back; above it is a button for switching between photo and video modes. Below the battery on the bottom of the camcorder is a card slot that supports both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC cards. Up front below the lens is a small door hiding a proprietary AV output; a composite cable is included, but an S-Video cable is available. A slider on the right side of the lens opens and closes the lens cover; using it once your hand is under the strap is awkward.
Flip open the touch-screen display (there is no viewfinder), and you'll find two rows of buttons in the body cavity for power; backlight compensation; direct-to-DVD recording using Sony's $149 VRD-P1 DVDirect DVD burner; turning on and off an LED lamp under the lens; and changing over to Playback mode. The last of the I/O ports are in this cavity, too: an uncovered Mini-USB port.
The touch screen is nice and sharp compared to other models in its class. On the left edge of the screen there are virtual buttons for controlling the zoom lens and starting and stopping recordings; very helpful if you're shooting at a low angle or on a tripod. The touch-based menu system is good for those who don't make a lot of changes. In other words, it's responsive, but because all of the options are in one long row, it can feel like the list goes on forever. At least Sony lets you configure an opening menu screen with six items you frequently adjust.
For those of you attracted to the megazoom lens, be warned: the camcorder is very difficult to hold still when shooting one-handed. To get the best results, it really needs to be on a tripod or some other stable support. Also, Sony went with electronic image stabilization, which is better than nothing, but won't come close to keeping your movies from being a shaky mess with the lens extended.

Features Sony Handycam DCR-SR68/SR88
Inputs/Outputs DC in/Mini-USB, AV
White balance Auto, Outdoor, Indoor, Manual
Scene modes Auto, Twilight, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Sports, Beach, Snow
Focus Auto, Manual, Spot AF, Tele Macro
Color effects None
Lens cover (auto or manual) Manual
Video light/flash LED video light/no
Accessory shoe No

This camcorder was designed for hassle-free recording and as such doesn't have a lot of extra shooting options. A majority of my field testing was done with the SR68/SR88 set to Auto for white balance, scene selection, and focus and it performed satisfactorily. There are more scene options if you chose to get specific and the same goes for white balance. Also, should you want to be more hands-on with focus and exposure, you can control both by touching the spot onscreen you'd like the camcorder to draw its information from.
For its low-end status, the SR68/SR88 performs reasonably well. It has an instant-on option that gets the camcorder powered up and ready to record very fast simply by opening the LCD (not an uncommon feature, but nice nonetheless). The autofocus is responsive, but when zoomed out it does hunt trying to focus, particularly in low-light conditions. The rated battery life for the included pack is 100 minutes of continuous shooting; expect less if you're frequently turning it on and off and reviewing clips. Extended-life batteries are available, one of which Sony claims has a life of up to 13 hours of continuous shooting.
Video quality overall is very soft; the only time a somewhat sharp picture was obtained was in Tele Macro mode. Clips also display quite a bit of noise and digital artifacts until you scale down to YouTube-size dimensions. There's a distinct pattern to the noise, too, which is distracting. There's noticeable purple fringing around subjects as well. If you still live completely in a low-resolution world, recordings are destined for video-sharing Web sites, or simply want to capture the moment no matter how it looks, the SR68/SR88 will suffice. Colors look OK but are cooler than they should be. Low-light video is loaded with grainy noise and yellow blotches. The LED lamp can help a bit if your subject is close to the lens, but it does little to improve the video quality and of course won't brighten distant subjects. Lastly, though the camcorder does take still shots, you'll likely get better photos out of a camera phone, and they can't be captured if you're recording video.
It's true you can get much better video from an HD camcorder that costs $100 to $200 more. However, standard-definition video is less demanding to play and edit on an average desktop or laptop, and SD camcorders are less expensive. With the Sony Handycam DCR-SR68/SR88 you're trading off video quality for a lot of storage and a 60x zoom lens. Of course, it's small, lightweight, and easy to use, too. Just don't expect HD when you're paying for SD.javascript:void(0)
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What to expect from the new iPhone

What to expect from the new iPhoneJust as it has done for the past three years, a new iPhone should play a major role at Apple's Worlwide Developers Conference next week. And when CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage on Monday to give his keynote address, I'll be there, along with CNET reporter Erica Ogg, to bring you all the details.
Until that time, I'm happy to speculate on what the new iPhone will offer. Although this year has been a little different because of a well-publicized leak of an iPhone prototype in April, few details about new devices emerge form Apple's labs before a formal unveiling. But that won't stop us from putting together the various clues to make our own guesses.
What we won't see
4G or not 4G? First off, an important clarification is in order. Though some have called the new handset the "iPhone 4G"--and we refer to it as such in informal conversations around the CNET office--we do not expect it to run on a 4G network. It will be the fourth-generation iPhone model, but because it should operate solely on AT&T's network (more on that later), its fastest data speeds will continue to be 3G. AT&T will begin testing its 4G LTE network later this year, but commercial deployment won't begin until 2011 at least. So check back then for a faster iPhone.
Verizon: I also have to repeat what we've said already. There will not be a Verizon iPhone this year. And if you don't believe us, just consider that Verizon spokesman John Johnson told Beet.TV on Wednesday that the carrier has no plans to carry the phone in the "immediate future."
Yes, it's a carefully worded statement, which means that it's very possible that we'll see a Verizon iPhone at some point in the future. Yet, when that will happen--if happens at all--is unclear. This fall has been suggested as a likely time frame, but I think that's unlikely. I predict that Apple will wait until Verizon rolls out its own 4G LTE network, which should begin later this year. There's also the matter that AT&T's exclusivity contract won't end until 2012, but that could change at any time.
Design
Pictures of the new iPhone have been all over the blogsphere since Gizmodo paid $5,000 for a prototype of the new iPhone that an Apple engineer allegedly lost.
From what we can tell from the pictures, the device will be marginally heavier with a flat back, sharper corners, a smaller and brighter display, and an aluminum border around the edge. Indeed, that's a break from the iPhone 3G and 3GS, which have a curved back and wobble slightly when resting on a table.
I'll save my opinions until I see the actual handset and get it in my hands, but a boxier shape would put it more in line with the iPad and some Google Android devices, such as the HTC Incredible. According to Gizmodo, the new iPhone also should have a flash for the main camera, split volume buttons, a micro-SIM card slot (like the iPad), and a possible noise cancellation microphone.
We'll reportedly see a front-facing video camera, as well, though I'm not convinced that it will be used for video calling. AT&T offers its Video Share application on a limited number of phones, but the service isn't available everywhere, and the carrier hasn't promoted it aggressively. The new iPhone might mark a change in strategy for AT&T, but then again, the new camera could just be for self-portraits.
Features
Tethering: AT&T's recent announcement that it was revamping its smartphone data plans brought welcome news about tethering. We've waited more than a year for the capability, since Apple executives first mentioned it during the iPhone OS 3 announcement in March 2009. It's worth noting that tethering is available on the iPhone in other countries, which means that AT&T has been the holdup, so we're glad that it's finally here.
Horsepower: The new iPhone could have a faster processor similar to the iPad's A4 chip. We'd welcome any added zip to the handset's performance, particularly since we'll get multitasking with iPhone OS 4.
Battery: Of course, a faster processor would mean improved battery life. Indeed, any change for the better would be more than welcome. I also wouldn't worry about the effects of a more vibrant display on performance. Even with twice the resolution, it would still be smaller than the iPad, and it wouldn't have to push as many pixels.
In the cloud: The adoption of a cloud-based music service is another popular Apple rumor. Music industry sources told CNET in March that such a service won't be ready until the third quarter of this year, which is a likely time frame, given that Apple usually reveals music announcements in September.
iPhone OS 4
Of course, the new iPhone will debut with all the new features of iPhone OS 4, including multitasking, home screen folders, a unified e-mail in-box, and a 5x digital zoom in the camera. During the keynote speech, we should hear more about the new mobile operating system and when it will roll out to the iPhone 3GS.
What else?
We have a standing list of features the iPhone still lacks. Nicole Lee wrapped them up nicely, following the OS 4 announcement, so I'll refer you to her blog post for the full story. Some items--such as compatibility with Adobe Systems Flash and a removable battery--we're pretty sure we'll never get, but others--such as audio profiles and a multiple-notifications bar--may indeed come. Whether the new iPhone will have them, however, is a mystery until Monday.
Release date
Speculation abounds over when the new iPhone will hit stores, and AT&T has reportedly blocked employees from taking vacations in June. I've heard that Monday, June 21, is a possible release date, whereas another rumor says it could hit stores as early as Monday. Both dates would break from Apple's tradition of Friday iPhone releases, but Apple always can surprise us. I'm guessing that we will see it during the second or third week of this month. I'm not inclined to believe rumors of a July release.
Be sure to tune in Monday to get the full scoop. And before you go, please tell us what you expect and what you want from the new iPhone.
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Gateway NV5933u

Wednesday, 2 June 2010 1 comments
OK, so we're finally ready to admit that Blu-ray looks like it's here to stay for a while. That doesn't necessarily mean that many people are ready to make a huge investment in a laptop with a Blu-ray player. The good news is, you may not have to worry about that. Prices have been dropping on Blu-ray laptops, and it's being increasingly offered as an upgrade option on many machines. Still, even we were surprised at the price of the Gateway NV5933u, a 15-inch Core i3 laptop with Blu-ray that costs just $650.
Gateway NV5933u
Gateway NV5933u
Gateway NV5933u
Gateway NV5933u

To put that in perspective, just a few months ago we were excited about a new Core i3 laptop of any kind for that price. And, back in our spring 2010 retail roundup of laptops, the 17-inch Core i3 Gateway NV7915u cost $599, just $50 less.
Admittedly, you're getting a 15.6-inch display at 1,366x768 pixels instead of a 17.3-inch at 1,600x900 pixels, and a smaller hard drive (320GB vs. the NV7915u's 500GB). But, this is also a smaller, more manageably sized laptop that might appeal better to those who want to carry their computer around. And, with HDMI-out, you can always output to a larger TV or monitor.
Considering that CNET recently reviewed a $500 portable Blu-ray player with an even smaller screen, the Gateway makes an even better choice by comparison. For an extra $150 you're not only getting a better Blu-ray player, but you're getting a whole computer thrown in, too--and a pretty good one, at that.
Price as reviewed $649
Processor 2.13 GHz Intel Core i3 M330
Memory 4GB, 1066MHz DDR3
Hard drive 320GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel HM55
Graphics Intel Media Accelerator HD
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions (WD) 14.7 x 10.2 inches
Height 1.5 inches
Screen size (diagonal) 15.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 5.8/6.6 pounds
Category Mainstream
Lookswise, the Gateway NV5933u is extremely similar to other recent Gateways we've reviewed in the NV line: solid, not too thick and not too thin, with a glossy plastic lid and a thick tube-style hinge that houses the power button on one side. The NV5933u has a bright cherry red outer lid highlighted with an abstract honeycomb pattern, which hides fingerprints better, and lends a nice contrast with the matte-black interior. In case you're not into red, the NV59 series also comes in "coffee brown," "midnight blue," and "nightsky black."
A matte-black keyboard deck surrounds the Gateway's wide, flat keyboard, with a glossy black finish around the 15.6-inch display. It's a clean look that we like better in the budget range than in higher-priced configs. Although the screen size is smaller than the recently reviewed Gateway NV7915u and the NV1901u, it actually results in a far more compact laptop with a more portable weight.
Recent Gateway keyboards stand out from the pack by having flat versus raised Chiclet-style keys, such as the ones seen on everything from MacBooks to Vaios. The wide, flat keys seem jarring by comparison at first, but the typing experience is actually surprisingly good. The key depressions are quiet yet retain a nice click with good travel, and the keys don't wobble. An adjoining number pad is a nice add, but it's a little too close to the main keyboard for comfort. To its credit, however, direction arrows and Shift/Return keys are kept discrete and properly sized. Above the keyboard is a small LED-backlit touch panel for controlling volume, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a few other small functions.
The slightly recessed multitouch-enabled pad has a smooth matte surface and is larger than average. It also controls really well, with two-finger scrolling and pinch-to-zoom working better than normal for a Windows 7 touch pad. It's a shame the mouse button bar beneath remains awkward. Thin, mirrored, and lacking discrete buttons, it's oddly flush with the rest of the palm rest's surface. Its positioning and design make it hard to click and use.
The LED-backlit 15.6-inch glossy display on the Gateway NV5933u has a 16x9 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which is standard for most laptops up to 15 inches. At this size, we've seen higher-res displays--the lower resolution is a bit of a disconnect with the included Blu-ray drive--but for the price some compromises are to be expected. At least the screen is big and bright, although it's not as crisp as others we've seen. Honestly, you might have a hard time recognizing the quality of a Blu-ray disc as opposed to a standard DVD.
Above the screen, a 0.3-megapixel Webcam offers video conferencing and picture-taking capabilities, but at a max resolution of 640x480 pixels. Color and definition were fine enough considering the low-res images the camera took, and video had a passable frame rate.
The integrated speakers, located above the keyboard and under thin grilles, have better-than-average volume and bass for movie watching. It's not audiophile territory by any means, but will be good for Hulu or other video content. If you're looking to get all you can out of your Blu-ray player, you'd better hook this up to a receiver.
Gateway NV5933u Average for category [mainstream]
Video VGA, HDMI-out VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort
Audio Stereo speakers, headphone (SPDIF)/microphone jacks Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader, eSATA
Expansion None ExpressCard/54
Networking Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, modem Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband
Optical drive Blu-ray player DVD burner Though the selection of ports on the NV5933u is fine for most, it lacks some of the bell-and-whistle features that set other laptops above the competition. No eSATA, ExpressCard, or Bluetooth functionality means you'll have to accomplish most of your connectivity needs via USB 2.0 or Wi-Fi. Compared with the value-priced Gateway NV7915u, this Gateway has a middle-of-the-road 320GB hard drive. That's certainly above average and more than enough for most, but not the 500GB we've seen on other models. There is, however, 4GB of fast DDR3 RAM. The NV59 series of laptops starts at $629 for a Core i3 model without Blu-ray, and climbs up to $799 for a Core i5 processor, a 500GB hard drive, and ATI Radeon HD dedicated graphics, also oddly without Blu-ray. There's also a $729 Core i5/Blu-ray model, but the value proposition of this particular Gateway line seems to dissolve at the higher price points compared with other offerings we've seen.
We've said before that we're pleasantly surprised by the performance and value of the new Intel Core i3 CPUs, which are technically the low end of the new Core series of processors. Even at the low end, this Core i3 is still better than most Core 2 Duo CPUs, especially when it comes to multimedia and multitasking. We could achieve Blu-ray playback, Hulu streaming, and word processing simultaneously with no problem, and found that little slowed the processor down.
As far as graphics go, there aren't any to speak of except for Intel's integrated HD processor. This machine is perfect at handling any form of video playback, but it can't handle games beyond casual or browser-based ones.

Juice box
Gateway NV5933uAverage watts per hour
Off (60%)0.49
Sleep (10%)0.72
Idle (25%)9.33
Load (05%)43.15
Raw kWh Number42.54
Annual power consumption cost$4.83
Annual power consumption cost

Gateway NV5933u
$4.83
Sony Vaio VPC-EB1JFX/B
$5.23
The Gateway NV5933u ran for 2 hours and 16 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery. Anything less than 3 hours on a mainstream laptop is disappointing, even at this price. Apple's recent MacBooks, by comparison, last well over 5 hours. Sure, this is a budget laptop, but its inability to last longer than the length of some movies is a serious drawback to an otherwise tempting package.
Multimedia multitasking test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Gateway NV5933u
828
Sony Vaio VPC-EB1JFX/B
834

Adobe Photoshop CS3 image-processing test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Gateway NV5933u
138
Sony Vaio VPC-EB1JFX/B
139
Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Gateway NV5933u
182
Sony Vaio VPC-EB1JFX/B
185
Video playback battery drain test (in minutes)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Sony Vaio VPC-EB1JFX/B
197
Gateway NV5933u
136
Gateway includes an industry-standard one-year parts and labor warranty with the system. Support is accessible via chat or e-mail as well as by toll-free 24-7 phone line, although there's no clear indication of any phone number on the Web site (it's 800-846-2301). An online knowledge base and driver downloads, by comparison, are relatively easy to find. Find out more about how we test laptops. System configurations:
Gateway NV5933u
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.13GHz Intel Core i3 M330; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 128MB (Dedicated) Intel Media Accelerator HD; 320GB Hitachi 5,400rpm Sony Vaio VPC-EB1JFX/B
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.13GHz Intel Core i3 M330; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 128MB (Dedicated) Intel Media Accelerator HD; 500GB Seagate 5,400rpm Dell Inspiron i1564-6980CRD
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.13GHz Intel Core i3 M330; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 32MB (Dedicated)/1696MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 320GB Western Digital 5,400rpm Toshiba Satellite A505-S6025
Windows 7 Home Professional (64-bit); 2.13GHz Intel Core i3 M330; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce 310M; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
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Report: Android favored for tablets, phones

Google's Android operating system is where it's at for smartphones and tablets, according to a report released Tuesday and comments from the chief executive of graphics chip supplier Nvidia.
Victoria Fodale, an analyst at ABI Research, said Tuesday in a research note that the Scottsdale, AZ-based marketing research firm anticipates that Linux-enabled smartphones, led by the success of Google's Android, will comprise 33 percent of the worldwide smartphone market by 2015. "With more than 60,000 smartphones shipping per day, Android has catapulted ahead of other Linux mobile platforms," according to the note.The momentum for the platform can be attributed to its flexibility, she said. "The Android platform can be modified so that (device markers) can differentiate their products and the licensing terms allow (makers) to innovate while still protecting proprietary work," wrote Fodale.
She cautioned, however, that though Google has built early momentum, Android is not without competition. Industry heavyweights Intel, Nokia, and Samsung recently announced two other new Linux-based operating systems, bada (Samsung) and MeeGo (Intel, Nokia), she wrote.
Halfway around the world, Android received a vote of confidence for tablets from Jen-Hsun Huang, the chief executive of graphics chip supplier Nvidia, according to a report Monday from IDG News Service. "The good news is that we finally have an operating system to unite behind," Huang said, referring to Android on tablets. Huang was speaking to reporters at the Computex show in Taipei. Nvidia's Tegra 2 chip is expected to appear in tablets later this year.
Windows, on the other hand, is not suitable for tablets, he said. "Windows is too big and it's too full featured for smartbooks and tablets," the report quoted Huang as saying. Computer and device maker Asus may disagree, however. That company said it is bringing out a Windows-based tablet next year.
And needless to say, Android already faces stiff competition in both the tablet and smartphone markets from Apple's OS X operating system, which is used in the immensely popular iPhone and iPad.
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