Samsung Cell Phones

Hidden among a slew of bugfixes and refinements announced in a posting on the Android project site are a few serious feature upgrades, which could make their way to your G1 fairly soon.

The most practical update may be to the camera functions, which have finally expanded to include video recording. The browser gets a hefty refresh as well, with an inline find function and creatively implemented selective copy and paste, as well as quite a few under-the-hood speed enhancements.

Some of the other updates are a bit more forward-looking, and clearly not focused on the G1. There'll be a framework put in place to allow for simple system-wide on-screen input (read: touch keyboards) and as our tipster pointed out, the mysterious and tantalizing inclusion of "Basic x86 support."

Being that this development isn't coming from a hardware manufacturer, x86 support doesn't indicate that a particular new gadget will be adopting the OS, but it does imply that seeing Android on a rich variety of gadgets, including some in unexpected form factors, isn't out of the question. Check the full feature list at the source link. [Android—Thanks, Ben]

Mobile Spy, that terrible piece of technology that silently monitors smartphones without the user knowing, has come to the iPhone. Goodbye safe haven of SMS and calling privacy, it was nice knowing you.

The app, created by Retina-X Studios, runs in total stealth mode so that users don't know its even on their phones. It silently records all SMS text messages, inbound and outbound call information (including call duration) and uploads them to a private account you specify.

It's been out for a while now on Symbian and WinMo phones, but the iPhone had been left gloriously untouched until now. Not surprising, I suppose, given the device's ever-increasing popularity. Retina-X says its for monitoring your children or employees. I say if you need to monitor them like this, you've got some terrible control and trust issues. [Aving]

Today LG introduced the HFB-500, a new mobile phone car kit that uses solar power to provide the energy necessary to run a speakerphone when in the car, making use of the cigarette lighter unnecessary. The hands-free device has ...
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Nokia has made a firmware update available to the North American version of the N96. Aside from some major bug fixes (including Bluetooth compatibility, stability, and camera performance), the update also makes the N96 compatible with Nokia's newly-launched Mail ...
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T-Mobile USA today announced that it will offer Research In Motion's Curve 8900 in February. The 8900 is thinner and lighter than previous Curve models. Its key features include a 512 MHz processor, 3 megapixel camera, 3.5mm audio jack, ...
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Motorola is rolling out three new handsets that'll be available in the next few months. While the concepts are relatively up-to-date (eco-friendliness, military ruggedness, touchscreens), why did Motorola choose designs from 2002?

The Renew W233, a bright yellow candybar, is allegedly the first phone made from recycled water bottles. It also costs 20% less to manufacture, has a carbon neutral footprint, and a Motorola promise to invest in renewable energy programs. Great, except ugly phones are a tough sell to even the most dedicated of environmentalists.

The Tundra VA76r is a military-spec, rugged PTT clamshell. It comes with CrystalTalk Plus, which uses a second microphone to filter out and reduce background noise, as well as a 2MP camera, stereo Bluetooth, aGPS and support for a 4GB microSD card. I guess ruggedized phones aren't supposed to be the prettiest things, but seeing the same design rehash from last year is boring.

The Surf A3100 is a touch-based replacement for Motorola's Ming. It'll have a 2.8-inch display, quad-band GSM/EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and two cameras—a 3MP with autofocus and a secondary VGA for videophoning, as well as support up to 32GB microSD cards. The catch is, it's only coming to Asia. Motorola has spoken, and it's said the U.S. cain't have nuthin' nice. [Phonescoop]

Despite its blurry focus and dodgy reflections, this video of the Kogan Agora—following yesterday's requisite in-the-wild fuzzy photos—is an official release. Poor production values aside, the Agora is looking puhhhrreeetyyy good.

Response is snappy, which could be down to the Agora's hardware or the as-of-yet uncertain scalability of Android. The interface seems to work fine on this differently shaped screen, and the hybrid touch/keyboard navigation, partially explored with the G1 but more fully realized here, is a natural fit for the OS.

In fact, this whole form factor looks like it suits Android quite well, so a certain other manufacturer who builds touchscreen/QWERTY phones and is planning a new non-Android OS should probably watch closely, and pray that companies like Kogan don't come out with a less-clunky variant of the Agora. The Agora's formal debutant party is at CES, so look out for more sightings and even a hands-on. [Giz AU]

We had a strong suspicion before, but this release memo over at BGR appears to confirm that T-Mobile will get the Curve 8900 and the 8-megapixel Samsung Memoir (which has gone by a number of different names through its FCC process) on February 18. In other shocking news, the 3G-equipped TM506 will be available in January in...RED! [BGR]

Verizon Wireless indicated in regulatory filings that it plans to close its acquisition of Alltel on Friday, January 9. Verizon is paying $5.9 billion for Alltel, as well as taking on $22.9 billion of debt. The acquisition will make ...
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A supposed 2009 Blackberry Roadmap posted on TmoNews Forums suggests that we'll not only be seeing the Curve 8900 next year, but also a touchscreen Bold and a Storm with a slide-out keyboard.

Forum moderator Godzilla posted the roadmap, which offers minimal details actual specs. It only says that the touchscreen Bold (9900, codename "Pluto") will maintain the same form factor and keyboard, and that the Storm slider is unconfirmed and targeted towards Europeans. which in addition to the aforementioned phones, also makes reference to HSPA and EV-DO versions of the 8900 (referred to as the 9220 and 8930, respectively), a 3G Kickstart, as well as an EV-DO/HSPA Bold. There was also talk of a refreshed line of Pearls with the new UI. The EV-DO products are due for a release in the first half of 2009, while the potential heavy hitters are slated for a release at the end of 2009. [TmoNews Forums]