Motorola’s much-anticipated iTunes phone, the E790 (a.k.a. Motorola ROKR Model E1), is expected to hit the market soon. Documents posted to the Federal Communications Commission’s Web site on Saturday indicate that Motorola has received regulatory approval to start selling the phone.
AppleInsider has posted a 5-page portion of the E790 manual which describes the basic functions of the iTunes mobile software, which can be controlled largely by the handset’s navigational key.
The document also indicates that the Motorola E790, a modified version of the company’s E398, will ship with stereo speakers, removable flash memory, Bluetooth and a dedicated iTunes button.
The question that remains is how the Motorola E790 will compete with the new Sony Ericsson w800i Walkman phone.

(more…)

“Since I use Google Maps often and I use my Treo 650 all the time, I thought it would be nice to have some of Google Maps on my Treo. Google Maps implementation is heavy on AJAX and no Treo 650 web browser to my current knowledge is able to handle Google Maps the way they are handled in PC browsers (at least my Xiino and Blazer aren’t able to handle them). So, I decided to add some of Google Maps’ functionality on Treo 650.” (KMaps Courtesy of TreoNauts)

(more…)

The kids over an Engadget have pictures and video of the rumored Treo 670 smartphone from Palm. The main difference is that the 670 runs Windows Mobile 5.0 from Microsoft while the current Treo 650 runs Palm OS 5.4 (a.k.a. Garnet). Also rumored to be on the Treo 670 spec sheet are EV-DO, Bluetooth, and a 1.3 megapixel camera, but no word about WiFi. Actual ship date is anyone’s guess because you’ll be at the mercy of the mobile operators while they take six months to “certify” it. Read More…

(more…)

TreoToday has posted instructions for syncing a Treo 650 to Mac OS X via Bluetooth:

Macs and Treo attract a certain type of people – those who like their devices to “just work” and a rebelliousness against “The Dark Side” i.e., Windows and PPC. However, it’s not always straightforward to get the most of your Mac and Treo together. Palm has a site specifically targeted towards Mac users using Palm devices.
Ximian developer J.B. Zimmerman talks about his frustrations in trying to connect his Treo with his Powerbook. If you are facing similar difficulty, check out his post to find out the steps he took to solve the problem.

Click through for the links.

(more…)

AppleInsider is reporting that Motorola will hold a press event on Monday, July 25th which will be hosted by Motorola chairman and chief executive officer Ed Zander. Motorola will also provide a webcast beginning at 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Although unconfirmed, rumors are flying that Steve Jobs will be in attendance and that Zander and Jobs will demo the Motorola E790 iTunes phone.

(more…)

In an article for Forbes, Everybody In The Pool, David M. Ewalt discusses the possibility of Apple launching a mobile phone company providing cellular and data services piggybacking on Sprint’s national cellular network. Read More…

(more…)

Speck Products is now shipping their SkinTight case for the BlackBerry 7100t smartphone. SkinTight rubberized cases provide protection against scratches, dings, and damage. The SkinTight 7100t case covers most of the phone, including the high-impact edges and corners while leaving openings for the headset, power port, speaker, status LED, scroll wheel and back button. Unlike other cases for the 7100t the SkinTight leaves the keyboard uncovered which has the side effect of increasing your texting speed. Speaking of texting, grippy ergonomic bumps on the rear minimize slipping during those furious SMS sessions. The only down side to grippy cases (in general) is that they’re hard to put into your pocket, luckily Speck has addressed this with their 360 degree swivel holster.
My favorite feature of the SkinTight 7100t is the hard screen protector, it keeps the display as nice and scratch-free as when you first got your phone. The SkinTight is available for the BlackBerry 7100 and Treo 650 (amongst other phone models) for US$34.95 and comes in 3 colors: blue, clear and black.

(more…)

I love the Treo 650 from PalmOne. I have been getting ~70-135 kbps downloads and I use it all the time – downloading apps, streaming wireless radio, uploading photos etc. True wireless for video/multimedia is going to be fantastic when the price comes down. Read More…

(more…)

P800 support has finally arrived with today’s release of iSync 1.1, along with Bluetooth-based support for the Sony Ericsson T610, T608 for Sprint PCS, Nokia?s Series 60 smart phone platform and Siemens S55 and S56 phones. A dozen USB-based Motorola phones are also supported now. View the updated supported device list from Apple. Safari bookmarks can now be synced from Mac to Mac (if only that worked on phones, too), and on supported phones your photo from Address Book will be synced to your phone. With the ability to view your info on your phone, your Palm PDA, your iPod, and even a Windows/Mac web browser, Apple’s reluctance to blow cash on an Apple-branded PDA starts to make sense. (Yeah, I know, it’s disappointing anyway.)

(more…)

RWong writes:

I’ve own a T610. They came out in Hong Kong about a week ago.
As per your previous user report, the sound quality does suck. A lot of hissing in the background and its picks up a lot of background noise (Similar to the Sony Z28 that I used before as well). Radiation seems to be an issue as well (My ears are sensitive that somehow – just don’t ask how). In terms of the basic phone functions, this phone does not stand up to my Nokia.
However, the design and GUI is nice. Buttons not as intuitive as a Nokia, but the interface is nice and pretty and the colors on the display are quite sharp for a cell phone. I have some issues with some missing basic functions (no real speed dialing i.e. Nokia one-touch speed dialing). Never owned an Ericsson phone before, but this was similar to the old Sony phone I had.
Camera is decent. Sharper than the Panasonic GD88, but probably nowhere close to the one megapixel camera phones that are coming out in Japan now. There is a low light mode as well, but doesn’t really improve pictures. Have not tried to flash accessory though.
Numeric buttons are nice with a blue glow, but the black buttons next to the joystick feel quite cheap (just the buttons, the black area next to the screen is quite nice) and are very stiff. The joystick works pretty decently too.

For more details on this cool new SE phone, check out Unofficial Club SE 610 and the official Sony Ericsson T610 page.

(more…)