Griffin’s antenna ClearBoost case for the iPhone just hit the streets, and opinions are already pouring in. The case involves the antenna, a bumper and a screen protector, and while the resulting combination is not much for loooks, iLounge found it to improve performance in certain situations. Apparently in very low coverage areas the ClearBoost isn’t much help, but in wonky two or three bar situations ClearBoost added one or two bars. Sounds like a win to us, but you’re going to have to have some serious need of signal to sacrifice iPhone aesthetics this totally.
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The Vu will be available through select AT&T retail locations or at http://www.att.com/wireless beginning in May 2008. For LG’s complete handset line-up please visit: www.LGmobilephones.com.
Running on AT&T’s 3G network, the Vu offers access to AT&T Mobile Music which provides fast access to downloadable music from eMusic and sideloading compatibility from Napster-to-go and any unrestricted MP3 audio file in addition to streaming digital radio by XM Radio. Loaded with AT&T Video Share, Instant Messaging, and HTML web browsing with touch navigation, the Vu offers the best of AT&T’s features in a stylish and fashionable handset.
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At AT&T’s press feast today, the focus was unquestionably the trial deployment of Microsoft’s Surface kiosks to stores later this month — the presence of Microsoft’s own Robbie Bach was testament to that fact. But there was more to the action by the time the show was over. Deployment of 3G and 4G services was a hot topic both during CEO Ralph de la Vega’s presentation and in the post-conference Q&A (one member of the press lamented the fact that AT&T’s BlackBerrys still lack HSDPA), and at one point he mentioned that all of the carrier’s smartphones would be 3G within a matter of mere “months.”
AT&T’s roadmap in the very near future, including a 3G iPhone and the BlackBerry 9000 we recently saw strutting its stuff. Of course, that would also preclude the just-introduced Palm Centro from hanging around for very long, since it tops out with EDGE speeds; last time we checked Garnet had a hard time handling HSDPA, so something’s got to give
The popular VoIP application that also allows you to chat and swap files with your IM buddies Fring has announced partnership with Boingo, allowing Boingo Mobile users to talk, chat & interact at over 60,000 Boingo hotspot locations around the world.
To be fair, I’m not sure how’s this different than standard Boingo’s mobile client using which you should be able to do the same thing. Guess the two companies wanted to emphasize that you can do much more than simply check your email or browse the web from your WiFi-enabled mobile phone.
Anyway, if you’re attending the CTIA and want to see Fring in action, make sure to check out the Symbian booth (#4855 in Hall N4, within the Enterprise Mobility Pavilion) while they’re still there (today is the last day of CTIA).
At the CTIA, ZTE haven’t announce anything spectacular. Rather they announced two low-end, three-band CDMA phones – C78 and C79. I couldn’t find decent photos of the two devices, hence I’m posting an image of the C78 model from the FCC’s filling.
Anyway, the C79 is a clamshell-shaped device and includes such features as MP3 player, 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth support, a 2 inch screen and support for microSD memory cards. The C78, on the other hand, is more affordable candybar-shaped device equipped with a VGA camera, web browser, and Bluetooth.
No word on availability, but considering they use CDMA radio, these two may land on Sprint, Alltel, Virgin Mobile USA or Verizon. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, you may want to check out the full release from Business Wire.
