Dell’s five-inch “entertainment, social connection and navigation device” might be more portable than the iPad, but it may not cost a whole lot less—provided you don’t want to get roped into a contract, at least. Engadget found out from a Dell blog post that the Streak will sell for $549 on its own and $299 with a two-year AT&T contract. The Dell blog post has subsequently disappeared, though. Oooh, intrigue.

In case you’ve been impervious to the Apple PR machine, the Wi-Fi-only iPad sells for $499, and the version with 3G connectivity costs $629. AT&T offers $14.99- and $25-a-month 3G data plans for the latter, but there are no contracts involved. Users just pay for the service on a month-to-month basis.

Also, the Dell Aero pricing and launch dates have been released by Dell. It’ll be available on August 9th for $99.99 with a contract and $299.99 without. That’s all folks.

In response to a question at its press conference on friday (major announcement here) about whether Apple could’ve done anything to avoid its antenna issues with the iPhone 4, Steve took the opportunity to rip on bigger rivals,

Saying that making a phone so big “you can’t get your hand around it” helps, but that “no one’s going to buy that.”

We’re assuming he’s likely talking about the latest crop of 4-, 4.3- and 5-inch phones that include the Galaxy S series, the EVO 4G, Droid X, and Dell Streak, even going so far as to call them “Hummers”. Though ripping on the competition is to be expected, perhaps the more interesting takeaway here is that we can’t realistically expect an iPhone much bigger than the 3.5-inch display they use today — presumably that’ll all be reserved for iPad territory going forward.

And here are some of the competitors responding to the said conference.

Yesterday during Apple’s press conference concerning antenna/reception issues with the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs tried deflect attention away from the device and assert that it was an industrywide problem. Jobs went on to show videos of various phones from competing manufacturers succumbing to attenuation problems when held in a certain way.

By doing this, Jobs made it seem to the untrained eye that this isn’t an Apple-specific problem, but just a fact of life for users of smartphones given today’s technology.

Not surprisingly, two of the companies that were the subject of Jobs’ “See, we aren’t the only ones having problems” demonstration are fighting back hard. The first to respond was none other than Nokia:

Antenna design is a complex subject and has been a core competence at Nokia for decades, across hundreds of phone models. Nokia was the pioneer in internal antennas; the Nokia 8810, launched in 1998, was the first commercial phone with this feature.

Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying human behavior, including how people hold their phones for calls, music playing, web browsing and so on. As you would expect from a company focused on connecting people, we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict.

In general, antenna performance of a mobile device/phone may be affected with a tight grip, depending on how the device is held. That’s why Nokia designs our phones to ensure acceptable performance in all real life cases, for example when the phone is held in either hand. Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design.

RIM co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie also fired back after their crown jewel, the BlackBerry Bold 9700, was shown to be susceptible to dropped bars:

Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.

It appears that Apple has opened up a whole new can of worms with its press conference, so we wouldn’t be surprised if other phone manufacturers start piling on shortly.

These cellphones sure sell out fast. After the record breaking success of the iPhone 4, now the Motorolla Droid X has struggled to meet consumer demand, with the phone now officially sold out, and the next batch available no earlier than July 23. Although the numbers are unlikely to be in the iPhone league, Verizon has struggled in the past to get the Android-based HTC Incredible into consumers’ hands as well, due to a OLED display shortage at the time.

“We have been successful at keeping up with early demand but at present inventory in some parts of the country inventory is either low or out,” acknowledges Verizon. “Since we have weekly shipments planned, customers can still order phones and can expect them to be shipped on or before July 23.”

But what about that news that the Droid X contained embedded systems that would brick the phone if it was tinkered with? Motorola responded to those concerns today:

The Droid X and a majority of Android consumer devices on the market today have a secured bootloader. In reference specifically to eFuse, the technology is not loaded with the purpose of preventing a consumer device from functioning, but rather ensuring for the user that the device only runs on updated and tested versions of software. If a device attempts to boot with unapproved software, it will go into recovery mode, and can re-boot once approved software is re-installed.

In short, the IBM-developed eFuse system will shut down a Droid X with an unapproved bootloader though it won’t actually damage the phone. Users simply need to re-install “approved software” to get the device up and running again. That’s certainly not-quite the type of openness many users would like to see, but it’s not Droid X apocalypse for hackers, either.

Omio, the UK mobile phone outlet, has purportedly got its hands on “a huge UK mobile phone release schedule for the rest of the year… [from] all the manufacturers”. Ofcourse , the source of the list remains a mystery, as we can’t find any sources mentioned, nor any other sources mentioning  the above mentioned list. So, with bated breath.. and a few grains of salt thrown in for good measure, here is the list:

• July
  • Nokia E5-00,
  • Sony Ericsson W20, and
  • Samsung i5500.
• August
  • Nokia X6 8GB and
  • BlackBerry Curve 9300.
• September
  • SonyEricsson Hazel and
  • Nokia X2 candybar
• October
  • HTC Vision,
  • the virtually unknown HTC Ace,
  • Nokia N8, and
  • Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X8 and Yendo.
• November
  • HTC Gold, with Microsoft’s new mobile OS, Windows phone 7
  • Samsung i8700
  • Nokia E7 — the latter being possibly a N8-esque QWERTY slider with AMOLED display and Symbian^3,

Phew! That’s quite a list the UK retailer plans to host on its outlets this year, what remains to be seen is how much this roadmap is followed.

[via Omio]

Similar to the procedure of installing Android on iPhone, the hack has been developed further and now we have an HTC HD2 phone running successfully on Android 2.1. With the dual boot option, your HTC HD2 would have the capability to run Android 2.1 along with the Ubuntu Linux “Karmic Koala”, which is the default OS.

The group which calls themselves HTC Linux are responsible for the port and they seem to have done a tremendous job in porting Android 2.1 smoothly on HTC HD2, as it runs there like it would run on any other Android device.  At the moment, both the OS look a bit buggy after being installed there but hopefully it would soon be removed in the next update.

To know more about how to port Android 2.1 on HTC HD2, head to the XDA-Developers forums and grab all the necessary files you need to start the process.

With this port, you would have the capability to experience the HTC Evo 4G OS on your HTC HD2, with the difference of 4G speed and hardware.

Check out the video below which shows a HTC HD2 device running on Android 2.1

Android 2.1 on HTC HD2

We compare the Apple iPhone 4 vs. the HTC EVO 4G. Read on to see how Apple’s latest creation fares against the first 4G smartphone in America.

With the curtain now officially lifted on Apple’s iPhone 4, hoards of Apple devotees have already made plans to ditch their well-worn 3G S models and move onto the next iteration. But if you’re not a worshipper at the altar of Steve Jobs, does the move to the iPhone 4 make sense? Whereas previous iPhone releases have towered over the competition in every way, this year’s release faces stiffer outside competition than ever before. Does Apple still have what it takes to reign supreme in the smartphone market? We pitted the iPhone 4 side by side with one of its most intimidating competitors, HTC’s Android-powered EVO 4G, to find out.

Display

Winner: Apple iPhone 4

With this year’s Android offerings moving to ever higher resolutions and screen sizes, it was clear that the iPhone would need a major overhaul to compete. And Apple provided it. The 3.5-inch, 960-by-640-pixel LCD screen on the iPhone 4 quadruples the amount of pixels from the last-gen screen to 614,400(something Apple calls Retina display). By contrast, the 4.3-inch screen on the HTC EVO 4G is physically larger, but at 480-by-800 pixels, the total pixel count of 384,000 still pales in comparison. More pixels in a smaller screen give the iPhone 4 astounding clarity and sharpness due to the pixel density, almost like reading a printed page. The iPhone 4 screen is also a high quality IPS panel compared to the normal TN panel of the HTC.The bifocal crowd might prefer the EVO 4G for its larger size, but most users will probably prefer the sheer detail and clarity of the iPhone 4.

Portability

Winner: Apple iPhone 4

That 4.3-inch screen naturally boosts the footprint of the EVO 4G significantly, but this  monster can’t compete on any level when it comes down to the denim. Besides being taller and wider, it’s also 12.3mm thick compared to just 9.7mm on the iPhone 4, and weighs 6 ounces compared to just 4.8 on the iPhone 4. No contest.

Processor

Winner: Draw

The iPhone 4 uses the same capable A4 processor as the iPad, and the EVO 4 uses the hotrod Qualcomm Snapdragon running at an impressive 1GHz. You’ll have to wait for the iPhone 4 release to see head-to-head benchmarks(not found at this time). Of course, different operating systems and a range of other variables make this far from scientific, and Apple A4 in the iPhone 4 could be an underclocked version of the iPad model for battery life, further throwing a wrench into the works.

Storage

Winner: Apple iPhone 4

We’ve always found Apple’s neglect for microSD expansion slots irritating, and that hasn’t changed with the iPhone 4. But at the end of the day, the iPhone 4 offers the same maximum storage as the EVO 4G, and for less money.

The EVO 4G comes with an 8GB microSD card preinstalled, but you can potentially expand it up to 32GB with a larger card. Unfortunately, 32GB models remain quite rare and you’ll need to drop at least $200 for one. By contrast, the least expensive ($200) iPhone 4 comes with 16GB of built-in memory, and it only costs $100 to upgrade to 32GB. As of press time, a smartphone owner who wanted the maximum memory would pay $300 from Apple, and or $200 from HTC plus $200 from SanDisk for a total of $400. A user who wanted the minimum would pay the same ($200) on both devices, but get 16GB on the iPhone 4 and only 8GB on the EVO 4G. The iPhone 4 wins on all accounts.

Camera

Winner: Draw

Both the iPhone 4 and EVO 4G sport both back cameras for snapping photos and front cameras for video conferencing. The EVO 4G gets the sharper vision on primary cam, shooting at 8 megapixels to Apple’s 5 megapixels, and on the front-facing cam, which shoots 1.3 megapixels to Apple’s VGA (0.3 megapixel) cam. Higher resolution doesn’t always mean a better camera, as the results from the two are comparable, and the iPhone does seem to shade the HTC when it comes to picture noise and artifacts (at least to our eyes). The EVO 4G also sports a dual-LED flash rather than a single-LED flash, potentially making it more potent for night-time shooting.

For video, both cameras are capable of high-def 720p recording, but the iPhone 4 can shoot at a full 30 frames per second while the EVO 4G can only do 25. And this also results in less artifacts on the iPhone video.

Connectivity

Winner: HTC EVO 4G

That “4G” in the EVO’s name isn’t just for kicks, although we happen to think it rolls off the tongue nicely. It’s actually the first phone in North America to ride on a blazing fast 4G network, potentially putting an end to the molasses-slow loading we typically associate with browsing on a mobile phone.

How much faster? HTC claims 10 times, but that’s based on comparing the very slowest end of average 3G speeds (600 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps), to the high end of its own 4G claims (3 to 6 Mbps). We managed to hit 3 Mbps once in a while in our own 4G network tests, but it was the exception, not the rule, and we typically got much slower. PCWorld’s speed tests of the EVO 4G confirmed the same type of network performance on the EVO 4 when testing around the Pacific Northwest.

That said, even 3 Mbps is more than you could ever hope to wring from most 3G phones, and the EVO 4G can do things that the iPhone 4 just won’t, like videoconferencing without a Wi-Fi connection. “Ten times faster” is an obvious marketing exaggeration, but with think most consumers would be plenty happy with “twice as fast,” which is speed you might actually be able to achieve, depending on location.

Even if you discount the 4G capability for its battery life, the EVO 4G also pulls an interesting trick that should leave iPhone 4 owners jealous: it functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot for sharing its connectivity with other devices – like laptops, tablets, and even other cell phones.

Service

AT&T / Sprint

This one’s pretty simple: if you live in a WiMAX area with good coverage, you could see higher data speeds on Sprint than AT&T. The trick is, you probably don’t live in a WiMAX area with good coverage — they’re few and far between. Luckily, Sprint’s 3G network is actually pretty great (outside of some notable rough patches in certain areas), and we’ve had a wonderful experience using it on the EVO so far, surpassing even some other Sprint handsets we’ve used. As we get further into the launch we’re starting to see some hints that the EVO is straining Sprint’s network somewhat — middling performance where it used to be excellent — but that’s at least not a widespread, iPhone-scale problem at this point.

Meanwhile, AT&T is AT&T: great speeds and network if it’s not over capacity in your area. The company has made some strong strides at fighting dropped calls in major metropolitan areas like NY and SF, and that new external antenna design on the iPhone 4 helps out as well — as long as you don’t hold it wrong. On a more minor note, the new iPhone also has slightly improved upload speeds.

Costs

The HTC EVO 4G is $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate with Sprint, but you can get it elsewhere (like Radio Shack and Best Buy) for $199 straight up. The iPhone 4 is $199 (if you can find one). Service plans get much more complicated, but basically:

• AT&T you can get as low at $55 with 200MB of data, 450 minutes of talk, and no messaging. If you want unlimited voice and messaging, along with 2GB of data (the most AT&T will pre-sell you, it’s $10 per GB after that), you’ll be forking over $115 a month.
• Sprint requires you to go for a minimum $80 plan (that includes the required premium data plan add-on for the EVO), which includes unlimited data, unlimited messaging, and 450 minutes of talk. To bump up to unlimited everything (and that $10 premium data charge insures a true unlimited data) you’ll be spending $110 a month.

Battery Life

Winner: Apple iPhone 4

Battery life has never been a strong point for Apple’s notoriously thirsty smartphone, but the company claims to have improved it this time around, and the same 4G modem that gives the EVO 4G its leg up in connectivity is its Achilles heel here. HTC hasn’t released complete battery life estimates for the EVO 4G, but we managed to get six hours of only on-and-off 4G data usage, while Apple claims the iPhone 4 will do six solid hours on 3G. Talk time also seems to suffer, with HTC claiming 360 minutes on the EVO 4G and Apple claiming 420 on the iPhone 4.

It’s worth noting, of course, that the EVO 4G sports a replaceable battery while the iPhone 4 has a sealed internal battery, eliminating the possibility of battery swaps. Although we don’t know too many cell owners who would carry around a replacement to swap out halfway through the day, long distance travelers who spend plenty of time away from outlets will certainly appreciate the possibility.

Operating System

Winner: Draw

We could run a keyboard into the ground spelling out the differences between the newly dubbed iOS and Android, but we value our previous keys, so let’s just say they each have their own advantages.

Apple’s iOS undoubtedly lacks the flexible open ecosystem of Android, which allows software like game console emulators that Apple has banned, but Apple holds the upper hand in selection, boasting 225,000 third-party apps to Android’s 70,000 or so, at last count. The latest release also alleviates some of the most frequent complaints about previous versions, like the lack of multitasking and folders for apps.

While techies will undoubtedly appreciate the lack of censorship and restrictions on Android, more mainstream consumers will find plenty to like about Apple’s overflowing App Store and ease of use, making this issue largely a matter of taste.

Notifications

We’re going to call this for Android right away. Google’s notification tray is just so much more pleasant, useful, and unobtrusive than Apple’s pop-overs.

Widgets

Android: yes. iPhone: no.

Multitasking

Apple is finally entering the multitasking arena with iOS 4, but it’s certainly doing things its own way. In truth, Apple still doesn’t allow any sort of “true” multitasking on its phone, just background services, task completion, and fast app switching. Android blows this away by allowing full apps to run simultaneously. Still, for all of Apple’s overwrought babying of the user, it does have a bit of a point: if you don’t kill your tasks vigilantly on Android, your phone will run hot (we’re speaking from experience with the EVO), slow down, and devour battery life. If you’re smart and proactive, Android’s multitasking can make you more productive. For everybody else, the iPhone is the cleaner solution, and in the multitasking-enabled apps we’ve been using so far, we’d say the iOS approach is usually sufficient — though it’s really reliant on the app developers to get it right.

Overall Winner: Apple iPhone 4

Impressive as both phones are, Apple’s iPhone 4 appears to be a better deal coming out of the gate than HTC’s innovative EVO 4G. Why? HTC’s biggest bragging point – 4G connectivity – proves to be less of an advantage in real life than on paper after factoring in real-life network speeds and issues with 4G battery life. It also has a small leg up on the iPhone 4 in camera resolution, but less fluid 25fps HD recording also helps diminish that minimal edge. Meanwhile, the iPhone 4 is substantially smaller, has a higher resolution screen, and offers more storage for the money.

We’re have tried to lay out the facts, so that you have the best material at your disposal for making the decisions, but we’re not going to call the decision “easy” or “cut and dry” for anybody. This is a road we all eventually walk alone… into an Apple or Sprint store.

We have heard a lot about the purported specs of the Droid 2 and Droid X, and now we can finally confirm some of the specs leaked via slides from the upcoming Droid commercials.

The slides conform that the Droid will not only have full Exchange support, but also the 1GHz snapdragon ARM processor, (earlier rumors indicated a 750 MHz core speed). Plus further confirmation of the 4.3 inch screen, with get this “a 720 dpi” screen, but at this point I would term that one a marketing goof up than a real spec of the screen, as a real 720 dpi display on a 4.3 inch screen would probably need a resolution of 1920 x 1080. You can see the rest of the slides here.

Leak could be from anyone at any position in a company. It could be sometimes deliberately too but this leak which we have got our hands on has done by no one ordinary, but infact a well-established company – AT&T Wireless. Yes, you read that right! While making a video about the testing process on Android phone, they used an unannounced handset by HTC – HTC Liberty.

Now it was hard to tell from just watching the video about the full specification of this phone, but we did spot capacitive buttons at the bottom, and an average screen of resolution 320 x 480. This might be because the current line up for AT&T Android handsets consist of low-end cellphones so far (Android doesn’t need expensive hardware to produce best results) and judging by the apparent looks of this phone, it looks as ordinary as the other handsets in the lineup!

Lets wait and see when HTC is planning on releasing this handset publicly. Check out the video below of leaked HTC Liberty:

via

iPhone 4, which was just released in the WWDC 2010 conference along with iOS4 is currently the center of attraction for all mobile application developers. They consider this move from Apple as remarkable, and think that this release is enough to rule their already-captured dominance in the market.

But what about the other old competitors of iPhone? What upgrades have they released so far to compete with the best? To summarize it in a chart, we are posting all the latest information about them in the picture below. In the comparison, we are considering iPhone 4, Nexus One by Google, Evo 4G and Droid Incredible by HTC.

[via TiPB]