LG Dare hands-on

We spent some touching (get it?) minutes with the new LG Dare that's hitting Verizon Wireless today, and while we didn't come away from the experience a changed human being, we've gotta congratulate LG and Verizon for the obvious effort they've put into this unit. Particularly with the hardware the phone seems determined to differentiate itself from its iPhone competition, with helpful tactile feedback while typing, (almost helpful) handwriting recognition, video recording (in slow-mo, if you'd like) and even editing, and the beefed-up photo taking capabilities that a 3.2 megapixel sensor and built-in flash provide. The basics aren't too bad either, with a sturdy and bright screen, peppy EV-DO Rev A., expandable memory and a flush 3.5mm headphone jack

Unfortunately, where things start to fall apart is polish. The phone inexplicably carries two app menus, one a "shortcut menu" accessed by a button off to the side of the home screen, the other a full-fledged affair accessed by the primary soft button row... which is also on the home screen. We also had trouble with the QWERTY keypad despite the abundant horizontal real estate the Dare commits to it. We got better as we became accustomed to tapping with our fingernails (thumb presses don't work, it's not a capacitive touch screen). Other things like the inability to fling your way through menus and long web pages are minor niggles, but detract from the overall experience.

It's also quite clear that the Dare is a featurephone, not a smartphone, so if you were hoping to manage email effectively or keep up with your appointments, you're probably better off sticking with one of those Big Kids phones -- even if the Dare's messaging and contact integration is admirable. The browser is also a "full HTML" browser in the most minor of senses. Sure it understands HTML, but it won't be rendering web pages anything like they're supposed to look, other than specially formatted mobile sites -- which sort of defeats the purpose. At least the anti-aliased fonts are a step up from traditional Verizon fare.

In all we'd liken the phone to its incohesive and boring external design: all the right elements are there, but they might need some more time in the oven to really make sense.

Blackberry Bold release date delayed?

According to reports crossing the wires this morning, Research In Motion is expected to delay the release of its next-gen BlackBerry Bold. The Boy Genius is claiming that software issues, battery life problems, and overheating are causing the hold-up, which will move the street date back to mid-August as opposed to the presumed July release on AT&T. There's been no confirmation from RIM on the news, but that's not stopping analysts from predicting the move will lower the company's second quarter earnings outlook. We're pretty sure it'll make businessmen with twitchy thumbs none-too-happy as well.

Nokia Releases Internet Tablet OS Update

Nokia and Maemo have formally announced the official release of the next iteration of their Internet Tablet operating system.

Codenamed Diablo, the OS2008 Feature Pack update includes several internal enhancements to performance, wireless capabilities, and stability.

The launch of this update likely signals the impending release of the latest Nokia Internet Tablet, the N810 WiMax Edition, as many of the updates in the operating system pave the way for this upcoming device to be utilized fully.

What's New?

Some of the major features of this update include:

SSU (seamless software updating) which enables components of the operating system to be updated without having to flash/rewrite the entire operating system.
Over-the-air (OTA) updates via Wi-Fi and WiMax connections
Update of the email client to Modest with several enhancements to the user interface and additional support of several mobile-friendly email features.
Addition of Chinese fonts to the system font list
Miscellaneous bug fixes to OpenSSL
Browser panning fixes
A-GPS support for the N810 and N810WE
Updates to the Wayfinder GPS application
and more
Because this is not a major update, most applications will continue to work from the previous version (OS2008) without a problem.

Download Information

This OS2008 Feature update is compatible with the Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets. Previous versions of the Internet Tablet platform -- specifically the Nokia 770 -- are not supported.

Users can download the update via the following links:

* N800 Users
* N810 Users

There is also a Flasher Wizard available to help guide users through the updating process.

Nokia N78 Launched in the U.S.

The N78 is one of the most recent smartphones released by Nokia, and is an entry-level model in this company's N-series of multimedia-themed smartphones.

At its unveiling, Nokia announced that both European and North American 3G variants of the N78 would be available, and now this has come to pass with the formal U.S. introduction of this device.


About the Nokia N78

The Nokia N78 is one of the first models to will come with an updated Symbian S60 operating system. Called S60 Feature Pack 2, this update adds better device performance, usability enhancements, and security enhancements.

In addition to S60 Feature Pack 2, the N78 features Wi-Fi and 3G for broadband-like wireless data connectivity. Refinements in the operating system also allow these connections to be better utilized in a new feature called Access Point Groups.

Wireless abilities of the N78 are further extended with onboard GPS and A-GPS. The addition of both of these enables geotagging of photos, use of Nokia Maps 2.0, and other location-based software.

Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP, and a built-in FM-transmitter compliment the wireless abilities of this handset further.

Backing all of this ability is a relatively large 1200 mAh battery. However, with dimensions of 113 mm (L), 49 mm (W), and 15.1 mm (thick) in a candybar shape, it remains small enough to slip in and out of the hand quickly.

The hardware design is further accented with a front face which "blends" into the background when not lit. The number-pad is composed of three slim lines of plastic, while the dual stereo speakers (top right and bottom left) round out a design created for both entertainment and work settings.

Instead of a 5-way directional pad, the N78 comes with a Navi-Wheel to navigate menus and longer screens. The 320-by-240-pixel screen otherwise dominates the front side of the N78, and offers up to 16 million colors and an ambient light sensor.

This smartphone features a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and Carl Zeiss optical technology. It has a 20x digital zoom with the ability to record MPEG-4 VGA video at 15 fps. A secondary camera is also on-board to facilitate video calling in supported markets.

A Very Early Look at the BlackBerry Javelin

The BlackBerry Javelin isn't expected to debut until the middle of next year, but rumors on it are already spreading.

A video of a prototype unit of this upcoming smartphone has been leaked to Engadget.

The oddest part of the early reports on this device -- which will be part of the BlackBerry 9000 series -- is that it will lack 3G support. By the middle of 2009, a 3G-less smartphone may seem very out of date.

The Javelin will, however, supposedly sport Wi-Fi, a GPS receiver, and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

There's no word yet on which carrier will offer this smartphone, or what it will cost.

BlackBerry Niagra, Too

Also surfacing this week is the first report on the BlackBerry Niagra.

This will be a smartphone similar to the Javelin, but scheduled for release by Verizon Wireless in May of 2009. Unlike the other model, the Niagra will supposedly have the 3G standard EV-DO