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Stories by Ginny Mies

  • Motorola tablet juiced with Android 2.4 to debut at CES

    The rumors surrounding a Motorola Android tablet have finally been confirmed--though we still don't know very much about it. Motorola posted a YouTube video today called "Tablet Evolution," which starts with an ancient Egyptian stone tablet and ends with the yet-to-be-named Motorola tablet. Nothing is revealed about the tablet -- not even how it looks -- but the bee flying toward it indicates that it will run Android 2.4 aka "Honeycomb."

  • Nexus S: Excellent, but misses potential

    The first phone to ship with Android 2.3 (also known as "Gingerbread") as the well as the follow-up to last January's Nexus One, the Nexus S (available unlocked for $530 or for $200 with a two-year plan from T-Mobile) is a joint effort between Samsung and Google with some impressive features. The hardware is gorgeous, and Android 2.3 delivers some useful enhancements; but with no support for HSPA+ or expandable memory, the Nexus S falls short of its potential.

  • Hands on with the Samsung Nexus S

    The first phone to ship with Android 2.3 (also known as "Gingerbread") as the well as the follow-up to last January's Nexus One, the Nexus S is a joint effort between Samsung and Google with some impressive features. The hardware is gorgeous, and Android 2.3 delivers some useful enhancements; but with no support for HSPA+ or expandable memory, the Nexus S falls short of its potential.

  • Nexus S to launch with Gingerbread

    It has been a busy morning in Mountain View as Google has announced the official details and specs regarding Android 2.3 (also known as "Gingerbread") as the well as the first phone to ship with the new version of the operating system. The Nexus S will be available (unlocked or with a T-Mobile service plan) and can be purchased online and in-store from Best Buy starting after December 16.

  • Motorola Droid Pro: Ready for business, but call quality disappoints

    Watch out RIM, the Motorola is out to get your enterprise customers with the Motorola Droid Pro ($180 with a two-year contract from Verizon). This smartphone, unveiled at Motorola's press event at CTIA Fall 2010 in San Francisco, has some features ideal for business users and IT professionals. The other features and specs, however, aren't enough to entice the everyday user. On top of that, call quality is surprisingly uneven.

  • BlackBerry Style: ideal for heavy messagers

    The flip phone is a dying breed, but Research In Motion (RIM) is trying to bring it back with its latest handset, the BlackBerry Style. The Style sports a compact design and the latest version of the BlackBerry OS, but the camera is subpar and the keyboard isn't as good as other BlackBerry devices.

  • T-Mobile myTouch 4G: Impressive and speedy

    The latest addition to the T-Mobile myTouch family, the myTouch 4G ($200 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile; price as of 10/28/2010), has the most impressive specs of the myTouch phones to date boasting a front-facing video camera, HSPA+ data speeds and HD video recording. HSPA+ coverage isn't everywhere however -- and might be spotty in cities that do support it.

  • Skeptical Shopper: E-Coupons May Track Spending Habits

    The advent of online coupons has made shopping and saving that much easier. In an earlier era, people spent their Sunday mornings clipping coupons out of the newspaper. Now, you can download coupons from dedicated sites like Coupons.com or Ebates.com, or even social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. But this convenience carries certain privacy risks: Some companies track consumer spending habits based on the coupons those consumers use.

  • Hands-on with Windows Phone 7

    To compete with Apple's iPhone and the Android army, Microsoft needed to pull out all the stops to sell Windows Phone 7 to the masses. Windows Mobile has a miserable reputation as being not user-friendly and slow. Throw in the Microsoft Kin failure, and you've got a lot of skepticism surrounding. Thankfully, Microsoft completely ditched the often frustrating, always sluggish Windows Mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 is a brand-new OS and Microsoft deserves a clean slate.

  • Windows Phone 7’s success depends on its apps

    Windows Phone 7's splashy launch last week in New York City showcased impressive hardware from the likes of Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung, and gave us a closer look at the brand-new operating system. Afterward, I was left with some questions and doubts, however. Besides a few missing essential features (ahem, copy and paste), Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 proposition lacks something far more important: apps. What good is a phone without apps? Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Marketplace is not yet up and running. A few of the demo phones at the launch event had apps preinstalled, but the selection was pretty skimpy.

  • Hands-on with the Pantech Laser

    Android phones were all the rage at this year's CTIA, but there were a few non-smartphones launched at the show. One of these phones, the Pantech Laser, impressed me in particular. Coming to AT&T on October 17, the Laser is an ideal phone for somebody who wants to stay connected via text, e-mail or social networks, but doesn't necessarily need Web or app access.

  • LG's Optimus T: Entry-level Android smartphone

    So far, a trend at this year's CTIA show in San Francisco is Android for everyone.Tuesday night, Motorola launched a slew of Android phones targeted at younger audiences and first-time smartphone owners. On Wednesday, LG unveiled the Optimus T for T-Mobile, a slick-looking phone running Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) with some useful tools for smartphone newbies.

  • Sprint intros affordable Android phones, new app program

    Sprint brings Android smartphones to the masses with the introduction of three budget-friendly Android phones here at CTIA. Phones include LG Optimus S, Sanyo Zio and the Samsung Transform. The three phones will be first to take advantage of a new Sprint app program called Sprint ID, also announced Wednesday.