After away slaving for many months, AT&T announced today that it has completed its 3G network upgrades in the New York City region. Now a 7.2Mbps network that relies heavily on the urban-friendly 850MHz band, AT&T says that the reworked network should deliver “improved 3G wireless voice and data connectivity and performance, especially during peak hours.” To support these claims, AT&T notes that call quality has improved 47%, while data speeds have gone up 25%. So tell us, AT&T us...

It might not have the raw power or good looks of the upcoming Samsung Captivate, but the HTC Aria is the best Android smartphone offered by AT&T. On sale as of Sunday, $129.99 Aria offers specs which include a 3.2″ HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. We don’t imagine it will be breaking AT&T sales records anytime soon (or ever, for that matter), but at least it’s more o...

We’ve known for quite some time that AT&T was planning to step up its 3G network in a big way over the coming months, but we didn’t exactly think it would be as big of an improvement as Engadget and Gizmodo are reporting. Apparently AT&T’s Operations CEO John Stankey was at a Reuters event in New York City and mentioned AT&T is going to more than double the speeds of its current 7.2Mbps 3G network by the time we’re all chucking out our 2010 calendars. AT&T’s made ...

Live in Canada, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain or Switzerland and want an iPad? Then break out your credit card and hit up your country’s respective online Apple Store, as online pre-orders for the smash-hit tablet that nobody needs, but a lot of people really want are now live. In Canada and the UK, the Wi-Fi model starts at $549 and £429 (inc. VAT), while the Wi-Fi + 3G model starts at $679 and £529 (inc. VAT). You’ll definitely be paying a premium over what the Yanks ...

Those that crave the latest and greatest handsets from LG will have to wait until Mobile World Congress is officially under way, but for now, two new handsets have been announced by the Korean company that should prove to be popular with the masses. First up is the GD880 Mini. As the name implies, the GD880 is very petite (LG is calling it the “smallest and slimmest 3.2-inch full touchscreen phone on the market today”), but it turns out the device hasn’t exactly been shortchanged when it com...

You know it’s bad when AT&T starts to take some heat from Saturday Night Live and not just Twitter and the blogosphere. With ongoing criticism about its network and sub-par performance, AT&T was recently accused of increasing data revenues and neglecting its infrastructure. In response to these claims, AT&T not only denies ditching its network maintenance while swimming in cash, but it also delineates plans for improving future performance. While AT&T won’t break down capital expen...

T-Mobile might have been last in launching a 3G network in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped it from moving right along. We had already known that T-Mobile was planning on lighting up its 7.2Mbps speeds in some cities by the end of 2009, but it looks like HSPA+ is kicking in just months later. Slated for mid-2010, a number of U.S. markets will have data speeds of up to 21Mbps on T-Mobile’s network. There are also a decent amount of handsets that will be able to take advantage of the 7.2Mbps kick, ...

Rogers Wireless was the first carrier to bring Android smartphones to Canada with the HTC Dream and Magic — two devices that weren’t exactly cutting edge — and now it’s trying to generate some excitement with the Eve, LG’s first Android offering. Pre-loaded with the Social Networks Manager app, an aggregate for Facebook, Twitter and Bebo, the Eve is being positioned as the “ultimate smartphone for social media enthusiasts”. There isn’t anything extraordinary goi...

It looks as if we no longer have to wait on LG to complete a slow and painful unveiling of its brand new Black Label series phone — if this is the real deal, of course. A very convincing promotional video popped up on YouTube that, if genuine, not only gives us our first shots of the device but also details the majority of its specs. As expected, the BL40 appears to be a very formidable phone with features that include a 4-inch 345×800 capacitive touchscreen display (note the very unusual 21:9 aspe...

All right boys and girls… It’s time for the big show. For months now, it has been glaringly obvious that Apple would introduce its third-generation handset at WWDC today and sure enough — it’s here. Apple addicts around the world are rejoicing and Apple haters around the world are refining their arguments as to why the iPhone is a non-factor. Love it or hate it, hit the jump to find out how the new iPhone 3G S shapes up. (more…)

The official arrival of LG’s Viewty Smart might not have been as well coordinated as LG may have liked, but the highly-anticipated successor to the popular Viewty is now official. Featuring an 8 megapixel camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, the Viewty Smart will be able to take pictures at up to 1600 ISO and record videos in “DVD-quality” with DivX and XviD playback to boot. Other than that, a 3″ touchscreen display with WVGA resolution, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, aGPS, Wi-Fi and the rather in...

Vodafone and HTC came together today to announce the HTC Magic, the latest Android handset we named and outed yesterday. As the world’s first touchscreen-only Android phone, the Magic isn’t that much of an improvement over the G1 though it does have a nicer look to it and some spec improvements behind it. Details as to when the Magic will launch are hazy at best but the Vodafone UK website states it will be “Arriving in April.” Being a Vodafone exclusive, customers in the UK, Spain, Fr...

In a day and age where smartphones are king, there doesn’t seem to be much room or excitement for devices that lack the multi-tasking power of platforms such as WM 6.1, S60, and OS 4.6/4.7. So how is a dumbphone expected to get by? If Prada II by LG is anything of an indicator, it will take one hell of a pretty face and a rather formidable spec sheet. A touch screen slider, the Prada II features a dual-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (850/2100 MHz) radio, Wi-Fi, 5 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and a...