The original bada-powered Wave has only been on sale for a couple of months, but two new models were announced today by Samsung.  Known as the S5250 Wave 2 and S5330 Wave 2 Pro, both devices are more or less identical save for the fact that the Pro model has a sliding QWERTY keypad. This means that everything else, be it the 3.2″ WQVGA touchscreen display, 3 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 80MB of internal memory, quad-band EDGE (no UMTS/HSDPA) and TouchWiz 3.0 UI is the same across the two devices. Both the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro will be available in South East Asia and Russia this August.

Samsung launches Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro smart phones – an extension of the Wave range based on Samsung’s bada platform

New Wave phones deliver a fully integrated experience for social media enthusiasts, keeping you effortlessly connected in style

Singapore – June 15, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today launched the Wave 2 (S5250) and Wave 2 Pro (S5330) – the newest smart phones to support bada, Samsung’s open mobile platform. The devices, on display at the CommunicAsia conference in Singapore, offer instant connectivity so that you can message your friends anytime, anywhere.

With Samsung’s Social Hub, all of your contact details, social networks, and email services are integrated into a single space, making connecting and sharing easier than ever before. Whether you’re looking for that always-on connection or key business features, the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro are designed for you, whatever your lifestyle.

“The Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro are testament to Samsung’s continuing commitment to deliver a smartphone for every lifestyle,” said JK Shin, President and head of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “I expect significant growth of bada smartphones volume thanks to the launch of mass market targeting Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro. We will continue to invest in our open bada platform and offer a wide range of choices and experiences for consumers.”

Making Waves with Social Hub

Samsung’s Social Hub brings you closer to your contacts and connections by seamlessly integrating your email, IM and social networking sites on the device. You’ll love this “ultimate inbox” and the ease at which you can view all your messages and manage your accounts. The Wave devices also come with pre-installed Facebook and Twitter apps so you’ll never be out of touch with the latest updates and tweets, all from the convenience of your home screen. When you slide the ‘WAVE 2 pro’ open, you can quickly and easily send an important IM to a friend using a full QWERTY keyboard or leisurely browse e-mails on an easy-to-view screen in landscape mode.

Constant Connectivity

The Wave 2 and the Wave 2 Pro offer a constant connection with lightning-fast WiFi support. Google Latitude and geo-tagging features let you stay connected with your friends no matter where you or they are. With Google Latitude, you can update your status and easily find out where your friends are headed after school or work by glancing at a map. Geo-tagging lets you tag photos by location so that you can easily sort images based on whether they are from your summer vacation or a business trip. The feature also allows you to use GPS for other useful apps on your Wave smart phone.

Dive in for Entertainment

Samsung’s bada platform gives you access to an abundance of applications from Samsung Apps, an integrated application store accessible from the Wave phones or your PC. Featuring a wealth of gaming, navigation, social networking, e-book, health and lifestyle applications, Samsung Apps delivers instant access to a huge range of mobile experiences. You can easily download an app without having to install any software by accessing Samsung Apps right on your phone or synching the device to a PC. Samsung Kies allows you to browse Samsung Apps on your PC and comes in handy for downloading large files and content. Java Applications will also be offered on Samsung Apps for Wave 2 and Wave Pro to enhance your experience with an even wider range of content. The Wave devices can also serve as complete media centers, offering rich, entertainment experiences on-the-go with a 3.5mm ear jack and an intuitive menu for music and other content.

The Samsung Wave 2 (S5250) and Wave 2 Pro (S5330) will be available from August in Russia and South East Asia. Customers can choose from the colors metallic black, pearl white and romantic pink.

Thanks to Bluetooth SIG, today we’ve learned about a brand new Android handset from Motorola. Formally known as the XT502, its pals call it the Greco. Running an unspecific version of Android, the Greco is known to have Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi, aGPS, quad-band EDGE and tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz). Now considering the fact the model number starts off with “XT” we’re fairly certain that this phone is headed to China, but the inclusion of AT&T friendly 850 and 1900 MHz 3G means it’s possible we might just see it Stateside.

[Via Unwired View]

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Well, well, well, look what we have here. No, it’s not some Chinese knockoff of the Desire — it’s the entry-level Wildfire, announced today by HTC. Running Android 2.1 with HTC Sense UI, its key specs include a 3.2″ QVGA display, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microSD, dual-band (900/2100MHz) 7.2Mbps HSPA, 512MB ROM / 384MB RAM and 528MHz processor. One interesting feature the Wildfire brings to the table is its “app sharing widget” which allows users to recommend apps to family, friend and peers via email, SMS and social networking sites. The HTC Wildfire will be available in Europe and Asia starting in Q3. No word yet on potential U.S. availability. Yay or nay?

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What you see above might just be the entire spec sheet for that mysterious Android slider from Motorola we caught a glimpse of the other day. Allegedly known as the Twist, the strange smartphone is said to measure in at 67mm-squared and 15.8mm thick, and possess a rather underwhelming feature set which includes a 2.8″ QVGA multitouch display, 3 megapixel camera, aGPS, Wi-Fi, dual-band HSPA (850/1900MHz), 700MHz OMAP 3410 processor and 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM. The slide mentions the Twist as running Android 1.5, so unless the information is badly outdated, it looks like those rumors of the device running Android 2.1 in conjunction with MOTOBLUR were wishful thinking. That is if any of this is even real.

[Via Android Central]

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It’s been a long time coming, but Dell and AT&T are finally readying themselves to release that long, long rumored Android smartphone in the US. AT&T’s website is contains a promo page for the Dell Aero, a handset which is really just a slightly upgraded version of the Mini 3i (or rather Mini 3ix) that’s long been available in China. So far AT&T hasn’t thrown too many specs out there, but from AT&T’s website and what we’ve heard, we’re looking at a 3.5″ nHD 360×640 display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, aGPS, 3G, support for Microsoft Exchange and a new UI skin. Of course whether the Aero will be running Android 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 or 2.1 is the question of the day, but with CTIA officially kicking off today, we don’t think we’re going to have to wait too long to get all the answers to our burning questions.

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Although we fear the only people who will buy a phone with a projector built into it are the same jackasses people who bring laser pointers into movie theaters, we have to admit the Samsung i8520 Beam is pretty darn cool considering the DLP Pico projector is actually built into the device and not some crappy add-on. But of course, no novelty feature can help a phone’s sales if the rest of it isn’t up to snuff, though it looks like the i8520 has enough packed into its 14.9mm thin frame to get the geek juices flowing:  a 3.7″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, aGPS, Wi-Fi, DNLA, 7.2Mbps up HSDPA (900/1900/2100MHz), 16GB of internal memory, 512MB ROM / 384MB RAM and an 1800 mAh battery that is said to yield 7 hours and 50 minutes of 3G talk time. OS wise, the i8520 is running Android 2.1 with “Specialized Projector UI”, something which is identical to the bada interface. No word yet on what processor we’re dealing with, although we have fired off an email to Samsung PR. The Samsung i8520 Beam will be available in Europe and Asia starting in Q3.

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Today at Mobile World Congress, Motorola announced the CLIQ XT with MOTOBLUR. Having nearly identical specs to the original CLIQ, it features a 3.1″ HVGA capacitive display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM tuner, e-compass, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and Android 1.5. Yeah, that probably sounds familiar. The big differences between them are that the CLIQ XT has an optical trackpad, lacks a QWERTY slider, supports Flash Lite and features “pinch and zoom” multitouch throughout the system. Besides that, than there’s really not much else to say other than we hope this isn’t all we’re going to see from Motorola because, well, talk about forgettable. The CLIQ XT with MOTOBLUR will be available from T-Mobile USA next month, while the Global version, QUENCH with MOTOBLUR, will be available in multiple regions by the end of this quarter.

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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 comes to specs; LG has managed to shove a 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS and 7.2Mbps HSDPA into the sleek device. Second we have the GT350. Essentially the successor of the KS360 aka Neon, the GT350 is improved by a four-line full-QWERTY sliding keypad as well as a a full 3″ WQVA touchscreen. Both phones are capable of push email and browsing the web, but the Mini has two applications the GT350 doesn’t in Social Network Connect (“which makes keeping in touch with online friends even easier than on a desktop PC”) and Social Network Feed which has built-in access to things the youth are down with like Facebook and Twitter and is integrated with Social Address Book.

Pricing for each device has yet to be made public, but we do know the GD880 Mini will be available in Europe next month (to be followed by other markets) while the GT350 will be available come April.

Read [GD880 Mini] Read [GT350]

Sure, Mobile World Congress kicks off in just under a week, but that doesn’t mean all the big boys are going to hold off on their product announcements. Take Samsung, for example, which today announced the S5620 Monte. Running the propriatary TouchWiz 2.0 Plus UI, the Monte features one-touch access to popular social media sites like Facebook and MySpace while supporting services such as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and Google Sync. Physically speaking we find a 3″ WQVGA capacitive touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera, 200MB of internal memory expandable via microSD and chips for A-GPS, Wi-Fi and 3.6Mbps UMTS/HSDPA. Right now it doens’t look like the Monte is North America bound simply because it lacks the proper 3G bands, but one never knows. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.

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In the days leading up to Nokia World 2009, the world’s largest phone maker announced the 5230, an affordable touchscreen Symbian S60 smartphone. At the time there was no official word whether or not it would ever make its way on to American soil, but thanks to the work of a few sneaky devils we now know that T-Mobile is gearing up to release it as the Nuron on March 17th. Pricing has yet to be passed down the corporate ladder, but we can’t imagine it would command a high price on or off contract considering it has nothing going for it in the eyes of the public other than its touchscreen and 3G connectivity. Perhaps this is one best left for the kiddies? T-Mobile’s slide doesn’t think so, however.

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Sony Ericsson today announced the Aspen, the latest handset in its GreenHeart line of eco-friendly devices. A no-nonsense Windows Phone geared towards business users, the Aspen’s features include a full-QWERTY keypad, 2.4″ QVGA dispaly, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and SPB Mobile Shell floating on top of Windows Mobile 6.5.3. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Sony Ericsson Aspen is scheduled to drop in Q2. And yes, this puppy is available with some US 3G love, albeit only on the 850 MHz band. Oh well. 1900 is teh suck anyway. Right, AT&T?

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With today being Thanksgiving and most blogs closing shop for the day, we thought it would be a perfect time for us to break out our review of the latest smartphone in Verizon’s line-up, the BlackBerry Curve 8530. More or less the same device as T-Mobile’s (and soon to be AT&T’s) Curve 8520, the 8530 differs a bit: it adds GPS into the fold and runs on EV-DO Rev. 0 networks. We’ve been putting it through our patent-pending stress test this week, so hit the break to check out our thoughts.

Hardware

Believe it or not, this phone is built surprisingly well, and despite weighing only 105g, the 8530 feels solid enough to make us feel confident that dropping it won’t result in tears. The rubberized sides coupled with textured faux carbon fiber plastic battery cover provide for a nice grip, and there are no creaks and moans. The keypad is more or less the same keypad as seen on the 8300 Series and 8900 and is really easy to adjust to. Some people might be put off by the clickity-clack noises it makes while one types away, but we found this particular model to be much more quiet than the aforementioned devices. We don’t think we need to say anything about the camera other than its a fixed-focus 2 megapixel affair. Okay, we lied, we do have something to say. Having a poor camera is bad, but having a poor camera with no flash seriously sucks. We mean, come on — even the bloody Pearl Flip had a flash.

The one minor hardware issue we did have with our review unit is that the trackpad wobbled. This didn’t negatively impact navigation, although feeling it move and hearing it click with every movement of our thumbs started to really get on our nerves.

A/V

Calls made on the 8530 sound pretty good, but we did notice the earpiece gives off more of a hiss than most handsets. The speaker, while a bit muffled and somewhat limited in range is quite nice considering the price of the phone and we were able to crank it up high without any complaints.

Apart from the occasional YouTube video linked to in an email, watching videos isn’t something we’re really into with this device. We’re not only saying this because we’re afraid that Sergio Leone would rise from the dead and kick our butts for watching something like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on a 2.5″ display, but because at that size QVGA just isn’t enough.

Listening to music on the 8530 isn’t a bad experience (unless you use the included headset). The multimedia keys on the top of the device are a nice touch and we like the fact that syncing music with iTunes and Windows Media Player is simple with BlackBerry Media Sync. We just have one question: why does the music stop when you activate the camera?

Software and Performance

What’s there left to say about the BlackBerry OS… It’s as polarizing as abortion. So instead of getting up on a soap box and turning this review into an essay, we’re going to keep this short. The Curve 8530 we received was running OS 5.0.0.337 and straight out of the box it had 114.18MB of 256MB free. All of the typical Verizon apps like City ID, V CAST Music/Videos/Song ID, VZ Navigator and Visual Voicemail come pre-loaded. Overall the 8530 runs smoothy thanks in part to its 528MHz processor, but it did seem to enjoy freezing up on three occasions. By freezing we don’t mean the device crashed and rebooted; it just sort of sat there and did absolutely nothing for a good 10-25 seconds. We’re not sure if we were pushing the device too hard or if the OS has some flaws that need fixing, so we’ll just have to wait until the first maintenance release is doled out by Verizon to see if that fixes the problem.

How’s the browser, you say? It’s still pretty sucky, and what suckiness remains isn’t exactly helped out by the QVGA display. Thankfully RIM is hard at work on its WebKit-based browser as you’re reading this, but until then all isn’t lost because there are quite a few decent third-party browsers such as Opera Mini and Bolt! that are ready and waiting to be downloaded.

Final Thoughts

We’re really torn about the Curve 8530. On one hand we think it’s a great little smartphone that will please a large number of people at the somewhat decent price of $99.99 on a 2-year. The only problem is that you can get something like the BlackBerry Tour 9630 with a better keypad, display, camera and international support for a few dollars more, if even that (we found a bunch of online retailers offering both the 8530 and 9630 for free on contract this morning). Of course the “upgrade” to the 9630 would come at the price of Wi-Fi and that oh-so-sweet optical trackpad. So what’s our final word? Go the your local dealer and take the Curve 8530 for a spin. If you like it, great. Go nuts and buy it. But if you don’t, by all means get something else. Just don’t say it’s not a capable smartphone.

Today we hit up Sony Ericsson’s shindig in NYC for some one-on-one time with its XPERIA X10, and so far (it’s a non-retail prototype) it looks like SE has a decent device on its hands. Of course, we all know the X10 is running Android 1.6, but SE has created its own UI, or UX as it prefers to say (short for User Experience), called Nexus. Like other UI overlays for Android, Nexus focuses on social media integration, entertainment and simplifying contact info by aggregating user information. Two very unique applications that SE has integrated into Nexus are Timescape and Mediascape. Timescape is much like viewing your contact information on HTC’s Sense UI and Motorola’s MOTOBLUR: you can view your contact’s email, SMS, Facebook and Twitter updates all in one place. Mediascape allows you to access photos, video and music from your phone as well as YouTube and PlayNow, SE’s music store. The great thing about Timescape and Mediascape is that they recognize connections between your contacts (like facial recognition), music and media and it makes suggestions on how you can communicate or get a guide to new media. Now that we’ve got the software aspect out of the way, hit the jump to see not only what think of the device itself, but quite a few pretty pics and a video overview!

Our initial impression of the XPERIA X10 is mixed. The screen is a vivid and crisp 4″ capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 480 x 854 while the device itself is both light and thin. It also packs smartphone basics like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, 3.5mm headset jack and a rather impressive 8.1 megapixel camera. The device feels nice in the hand, although those with small hands might think it’s rather large. Still, it’s not cumbersome by any means. When running through the screens, we did experience a bit of lag even though the X10 is running the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. And while SE has added its own UI over Android 1.6, it still feels like a bare-bones Android device. The UI is very functional and it gets the job done, but it’s not as attractive as HTC’s Sense UI. We’re not quite sure what it is about the XPERIA X10, but we’re just not feeling that “wow” we got with the Droid, for example.

SE says it’s working with U.S. carriers to get the XPERIA X10 subsidized in the States, but in the even that doesn’t happen it could be another expensive device that might be overlooked in the Americas – we’ve got our fingers crossed that AT&T or T-Mobile will pick this up. There’s no word on when this will be released, but with all the press and fanfare we’re thinking it shouldn’t be much longer.

The BlackBerry 9700 isn’t the only announced handset that is being released today, and for those of you who prefer a phone with a bit more of that international appeal, may we present to you, the Nokia E72. Let’s recap some of the specs for those of you who may have forgotten: 10.2Mbps HSDPA, integrated compass, A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, S60 3rd Edition, improved email functionality, and a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera. The Nokia USA store and Amazon are still listing the E72 as “pre-order” but we are hoping to pick up a unit or 12 before the day is out. Anyone out there longing for this new Nokia handset, or have other recent devices stolen all your lust?

[Via Engadget Mobile]

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T-Mobile Android junkies that aren’t digging the carriers current offerings from HTC might want to go through their desk, grab a Sharpie and circle November 18th on their calendars  for that’s the day T-Mobile has officially announced the Samsung Behold II will go on sale. Pricing is still a sekret, but we sincerely hope for T-Mobile’s sake that it will keep the price on this sucker really low, say under $199.99. For all we know that’s why pricing hasn’t been announced, they’re probably still negotiating the subsidy with Samsung. Hit the jump for the press release.

T-Mobile USA Launches the Samsung Behold II on November 18

Multimedia Powerhouse Joins Broad Selection of Android-Powered Smartphones for T-Mobile Customers

BELLEVUE, Wash., and DALLAS — Nov. 13, 2009 — T-Mobile USA, Inc., the wireless leader in offering the broadest selection of Android™-powered smartphones in the United States, today announced that the Samsung Behold® II will be available beginning Nov. 18. The full touch-screen Behold II is a multimedia powerhouse with fast Web and data supported by Wi-Fi® and T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network.

Available exclusively from T-Mobile USA, the Behold II is the first phone from T-Mobile to feature a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen for crisper colors and wider viewing angles, which is paired with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, zoom, flash, five shooting modes and video capabilities. Samsung’s intuitive cube menu also provides quick access to six top multimedia features: music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube™ and Amazon MP3 for music downloads.

“With its first-rate multimedia capabilities front and center, the Samsung Behold II adds an exclamation point to T-Mobile’s already impressive Android lineup for the holidays,” said Wendy Piñero-DePencier, vice president, brand and calendar marketing, T-Mobile USA. “The combination of 3G speeds, its high-resolution touch-screen, and access to loads of entertainment features is sure to make the Behold II into a holiday hit.”

The Android-powered phone is equipped with Samsung’s innovative TouchWiz™ user interface for easy customization through movable widgets and one-touch access to commonly used features and applications. The Behold II offers three different home screens to organize multiple workspaces with favorite widgets and application shortcuts.

“The Behold II raises the bar to the next level to create a rich, customizable set of different user experiences,” said Omar Khan, senior vice president of strategy and product management for Samsung Mobile. “Combined with Samsung’s advanced AMOLED display technology, innovative TouchWiz user interface and the Android platform, users can create and enjoy a mobile experience unique to their needs.”

The Behold II features built-in Google™ mobile services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube and Google Talk™, as well as thousands of applications and games available for download from Android Market™. The Wi-Fi-enabled Behold II also supports personal e-mail and corporate e-mail with Exchange ActiveSync, as well as instant messaging, and text, picture and video messaging. Additional features include assisted GPS, Bluetooth® 2.1, visual voicemail that allows for easier access and response to voice mail, support for up to 16GB of external memory, and includes a 2GB microSD memory card.

With support for T-Mobile’s rapidly expanding 3G network, Behold II customers can take advantage of a reliable wireless connection and fast download speeds when browsing the Web or downloading applications from Android Market. T-Mobile’s 3G network is currently available in 240 cities across the country. By the end of 2009, T-Mobile USA expects its 3G network to be available to reach approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population.

The Samsung Behold II will be available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, select authorized dealers and online at http://www.T-Mobile.com beginning Nov. 18, 2009.