Filed under: Handsets, Features, LG, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Announcements

After weeks of hand-wringing, we’ve finally settled on a winner of our contest for LG’s uber-limited $1,500 Iron Man edition Shine! We asked you to send in pictures of the busted-up pieces of garbage you call “phones,” and holy cow, did we get some doozies.

Without further adieu, our winner, Mark H., comes to us from Novato, California. Here’s his story:

“I need a new phone as you can see. I have had this Nokia phone since 2001. I’m in the military service and my friends make fun of my old phone and now they’re really on me since my phone was run over by a car and I use electrical tape to keep the faceplate together. I don’t get payed enough by the service to buy a nice new phone.”

Congratulations, Mark! Even if this relic were in perfect condition, it’d still be time for an upgrade. Let’s try to keep this one a little less scuffed, because that solid gold battery cover definitely does not live up to the “Iron Man” name. Follow the break for some honorable mentions — you guys made it really hard to choose!

Continue reading Iron Man contest winner announced!

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones

Although Sony Ericsson just churned out a rather impressive array of new handsets this month, it seems the outfit is still having trouble securing record-setting profits. Truthfully, it’s struggling to break even, as evidenced by the second profit warning of 2008 that was issued last week. SE is pinpointing “disappointing European sales of its mid- and high-end mobile phones” as the reason it will likely not see a profit in Q2, and some analysts are suggesting that shipment delays and a dearth of low-end handsets also carry a share of the blame. ‘Course, the hotly-anticipated Xperia X1 could certainly make for a lovely Q3, but only time will tell if enough folks shell out for it to make a difference.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Messaging, Alltel

This ain’t your grandpappy’s My Circle. Well, actually, it pretty much is, with one small change: customers signing up for a My Circle messaging plan of $7.99 or higher on Alltel will now get unlimited messaging within their Circle, while the non-Circle bucket starts at 400 per month. The $19.99 “All Access Pass” is still available too, which rocks unlimited messaging to everyone regardless of whether they’re cool enough to be in your Circle — and it includes mobile web access, to boot. The new plans are available immediately.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Ever since Motorola was tossing the Tetra name around in 2005, the brand has catered to those operating in less-than-beautiful conditions. The T-Pad smartphone is no exception to the rule, boasting a shock-proof (MIL-STD-810F) casing, IP65 waterproof rating and a keypad that resists dust, debris and any other manner of matter. Specs wise, you’ll find a 640 x 480 resolution display, Intel’s Xscale 400MHz CPU, Windows CE.Net 4.2, Bluetooth, 64MB of SDRAM, USB connectivity and optional WiFi / GPS. Unfortunately, this little bugger is reportedly stickered at £1,300 ($2,592), so unless your employer is picking up the tab for you to have a mobile while wrestling polar bears at the North Pole, we’d probably recommend a cheaper alternative.

[Via CNET, thanks Yogesh]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Handsets, Rogers Wireless, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Apple, OS X

For the smattering of Canadians wealthy enough to pick up an iPhone 3G from Rogers Wireless without worrying over the lack of an unlimited data plan, we’ve stumbled across what appears to be internal verbiage detailing the in-store activation process. Quite frankly, there doesn’t seem to be any real surprises here, but it is somewhat interesting that retail locations will be required to download and use a special version of iTunes with an “Activation Only Mode,” which will enable employees to unbrick the mobiles before customers leave. In any case, feel free to hit the read link if you’re anxious to know exactly what the sure-to-be-hair-raising experience will be like come July 11th.

[Via GearDiary, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Hate to break it to you, but there’s little more to tell about the E66 that we didn’t already cover with the E71. It’s basically the exact same hardware and screen in a portrait, sliding form factor, which loses the QWERTY for a numeric keypad. That said, we wanted to go over the specific quality of those differences, and touch on a few things we missed with the E71 review. Oh, and in case you missed our video hands-on with both devices, you can find it right here.

Continue reading Nokia E66 mini-review

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Yo, heads up — the E71′s only half of the story with Nokia’s new line of business sidekicks. For those of us who bust out T9 text with aplomb, the E66 might be the better option, especially when you factor in its narrower form factor, arguably (okay, very arguably) nicer look, and an utterly brilliant slide mechanism. Having trouble deciding? Perhaps our little look at the E66 over on Engadget Mobile can be of assistance.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Apple

A frequently-asked questions list apparently recently distributed to Apple retail store employees doesn’t reveal a ton of exciting new information, but it does address the simple reality that neither Apple nor AT&T are entirely sure yet how the hell they’re going to complete the activation process for iPhone 3G customers come July 11. If a customer asks about how activation is going to work — something we’ve previously said might be able to be finalized from the comfort of your home — staffers are instructed to simply reply “I don’t have any details at this time about activation.” Well, screw you too, Mr. / Mrs. / Miss Apple Store Employee! Also funny is Apple’s prediction (a correct one, we’d bet) that shoppers will be curious about the iPhone / iPod touch price matchup, to which the response is “iPhone 3G is offered at such a terrific price because, like most cell phones, it requires a 2-year carrier contract.” There’s quite a bit of reading material in here, including details on multi-phone activation for businesses — so it’s worth a quick read if you’re into that sort of thing.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler