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Without providing any actual figures Sprint says the Palm Pre smartphone, which launched early June, broke its own records for first day and weekend sales. Palm, on the other hand, only claims “sales have been strong and growing.” Indeed the device appears to be off to a good start, but with both companies mum on hard numbers, we have only the estimates of analysts with which to gauge its success.

The latest estimates come from Edward Snyder at Charter Equity Research, who says his sources in the manufacturing and retail channels indicate that Palm had sold 300,000 phones last month, and that the company has yet to catch up with demand. Palm is said to be producing 15,000 Pre units each day and plans to ship more than 1 million total units throughout its first quarter since launch.

That may not seem like much next to Apple’s million-in-a-weekend sales, but it’s still pretty impressive considering Palm shipped just 351,000 phones in the entire quarter prior to the Pre’s debut.

Following confirmation that that Microsoft’s Zune HD will include an Nvidia Tegra system-on-a-chip when it launches this coming fall, Nvidia has revealed the platform is set to debut in the smartphone segment as well. In an interview with TheStreet.com, Michael Rayfield, the company’s general manager of mobile business said he expects Tegra to show up in a handset from “one of the top five cell-phone makers” in Q4 2009.

While Rayfield wouldn’t mention which manufacturer that might be or any other details regarding the handset, TheStreet.com points to Samsung and Motorola as likely candidates. Considering Nvidia has only shown its chip working with Android and Windows Mobile or CE operating systems, we can probably rule out Nokia, Apple, RIM and some others. Additionally, the company has also said in a discussion with CrunchGear that Tegra-based devices should reach AT&T and T-Mobile by the end of this year for about $199.

HTC unveiled its Hero smartphone earlier this week, but the highlight of the launch was not so much the device itself as it was the custom Android interface it ran. Nicknamed Sense, the new interface brings added capabilities such as Flash support, an expanded Home screen with unique HTC widgets and tighter integration with social-networking tools like Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately, due to licensing restrictions, it won’t be heading to any Google-branded phones like T-Mobile’s G1 and myTouch 3G.

Well, at least not officially. A home-brewed version of Sense has already been leaked onto the web, allowing users of the HTC Magic, Dream and T-Mobile G1 to unofficially upgrade their phones. The ROM apparently originated at HTC and was modified by two Italian hackers to work on the older devices.

Aside from the nice graphics there are a number of glitches to be found, however, like non-compatibility with auto-screen rotate and apparently Wi-Fi and Bluetooth don't work at the moment. Flash functionality and overall performance seems a bit laggy on the G1, too.

Needless to say, most users are better off keeping their current Android installation, but the curious types can still head to the Android HD Blog (translated) for instructions on how to get the new interface up and running on their device. You can also check out a hands-on video with HTC’s Sense hacked onto the G1 after the jump.

In a recent interview with CNet, Sony spokesman Al de Leon has hinted at the possibility of non-game software for the PSP. “It’ll mostly be games,” according to de Leon, “but there’s certainly an opportunity to develop non-gaming applications.” While he offered no official confirmation, his comments lend credence to earlier rumors that Sony was looking at emulating Apple’s success by creating an application store for the PSP Go.

According to the rumors, independent developers would have the option of creating games and utilities that don't have to go through the licensing required for retail but will have to limit these to 100MB and price them between $2 and $6 – free apps would also be available. If true, Sony could announce its plans at Germany's Gamescom in August and make apps available in time for the PSP Go's October launch.

Sony has already confirmed that “just about” every PSP game released in physical format after October 1 will also be available for download on the PlayStation Network, so coupling these with easy to develop apps and casual titles could help the PSP Go pick up some traction.

Late last year, it was revealed that Adobe would be pushing Flash 10 onto several new platforms. More specifically, they recently revealed that the technology would make its way over to Windows Mobile, Android, WebOS, and Symbian devices around October this year – albeit in beta form. That's closer to reality now, with announcements that HTC's new Android-based “Hero” phone will come stock with Flash installed and ready to go. This will give the phone the flexibility to use a much wider range of online services such as YouTube.

The version of Flash shipping with Android won't actually be fully Flash 10 compatible, using some older elements that are specific to Flash 9. However, it will be capable of on-the-fly updates, which will allow them to push out better functionality as it is developed. Sadly, this won’t be available for Android phones other than HTC’s Hero, but Adobe still claims that full Flash 10 support for the platform is on the way.

One of the most prominent features highlighted on the new iPhone OS 3.0 was the availability of push notifications, which for now can work as a band-aid fix given the lack of true multi-tasking on the iPhone platform. AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM) is one of the first apps to take advantage of push notifications, allowing you to get a pop-up when someone sends you a message regardless of what app you are currently running.

If you don't happen to use AIM but want Messenger or ICQ support, Beejive is another paid iPhone app that has been updated to use push notifications and can support multiple IM networks. As mentioned before, this is only a workaround to the true limitation of no background app support on the iPhone, but in the context of instant messaging, it's almost all you need.

Ultimately Apple will have to cater to the growing masses of developers and consumers that want true multi-tasking on the iPhone. But until their next-generation platform gets here, you can expect to see many more apps taking advantage of push support in the weeks and months to come.

With the notable exception of Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry, all major mobile platforms are set to receive Flash Player 10 support in October according to Adobe. During the company’s second-quarter earnings call on Friday, CEO Shantanu Narayen confirmed that a desktop-class implementation of the technology will debut in beta form for Windows Mobile, Android, WebOS, and Symbian devices later this year; with ARM, Broadcom, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments currently optimizing the player for their products.

The functionality was actually demonstrated at Adobe’s MAX developer conference last year, and a fall launch was already promised back in February at the Mobile World Congress in Spain, but it’s good to know the company is still on track. Narayen also said that Adobe continues to “work with Apple” to develop Flash 10 for the iPhone. However, with the latest release of Safari bringing some HTML 5 support, Apple might be placing its bets on web standards for adding video streaming capabilities to the iPhone; all while keeping Flash-based games at bay in an effort to protect its App Store sales.

Intel has seen a breakthrough in its effort to enter the mobile market, winning a contract to supply Nokia with processors. The deal is expected to be announced in a conference call with Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president of the company’s ultra-mobility sector, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Although Intel’s microprocessors run in over 80% of the world’s PCs, the semiconductor giant has struggled for around a decade to make an entry into the cell phone chip market. As one might expect, Intel will be providing their Atom chip for the Nokia’s devices. The Atom has seen great success in other mobile computing areas, dominating the netbook segment. In 2006, Intel CEO Paul Otellini decided the company was too late to the market and ultimately ditched his predecessor’s $5 billion investment in mobile chips.

Things have changed now, though, and Otellini is pushing to gain foothold in the market as a means of lessening the company’s dependence on computers, which currently account for more than 90% of their sales. According to ABI Research, about 1.21 billion mobile phones were sold globally last year. Intel announced in February that it scored a contract with LG for mobile devices.

Palm may have impressed smartphone fans with its new Pre, but the company still needs to convince application developers to get on board if it wants to replicate Apple’s success in the market. However, with Palm’s App Catalog and accompanying developer kit still in a limited beta phase, users have only around 30 apps to choose from two weeks after the device’s launch.

To put that into perspective, Apple’s App Store, which launched in July 2008, has become a hugely popular feature among its users who have downloaded the store’s more than 50,000 apps over 1 billion times. Palm is obviously hoping to change this soon, but while they are eager to open up the WebOS SDK to a wider audience, they claim its software and developer services simply aren't ready to support this yet. Palm is not sharing any specific dates, but the company says their goal is to release the SDK by the end of summer.

In the short term, Palm said it will expand its early access program, providing access to thousands more developers over the next few weeks. The demand is clearly there, seeing as how some developers have already begun showing off homebrew applications using conventional Linux tools. Interestingly, instead of slapping these unofficial efforts down, Palm is showing an open attitude towards this, saying only that projects based on the official SDK will provide a better experience than hacks for both developers and users.

Update: AT&T called the recent $55 tethering service rumors false on its Facebook page. No other details were given, except that more information would be provided at a later date.

Citing an anonymous source from within AT&T, Appmodo reported yesterday that both MMS and tethering would be coming for the iPhone in July. This comes as a contradiction to previous beliefs of a late summer release. The source also brought word regarding AT&T’s pricing. They say the carrier’s tethering option will run $55 per month, as opposed to the rumored $70.

While the claims are exciting for anyone waiting on official support, they’re presently unconfirmed. Rest assured, AT&T will support the options – it’s only a matter of time, and how much you’re willing to pay. Mark Siegel, a spokesman for the company, confirmed the features a little over a week ago. His interview left quite a few things unanswered, though.

Siegel provided no word on whether MMS and tethering would be available on iPhone models prior to the latest 3G S. However, Apple is packaging support for the features with a software upgrade, and AT&T is planning to offer a plan for the iPhone 3G S. It seems logical that the carrier will provide the service for all iPhones with the upgraded software. There is still no official release date or pricing.

Research In Motion unveiled its plans to introduce yet another smartphone to the market, the BlackBerry Tour. In an attempt to expand its market share, the company’s latest device is said to rest comfortably between the BlackBerry Curve and Bold. The former has grown popular among consumers whereas the latter is aimed at high-end corporate users.


According to Jim Balsillie, RIM’s co-chief executive, the smartphone follows a familiar blueprint - including its shape and full keyboard. Its expected multimedia features also appear to be rather conventional, with an image and video camera, and media player. Although the company is trying to soak up some untouched market by offering a handset which “crosses customer categories,” it will face stiff competition with the aggressively priced Pre and iPhone.

The BlackBerry Tour will be available “soon” through Verizon and Sprint in the US as well as Telus and BCE’s Bell unit in Canada. Pricing looks to be about $200 after rebates and a two year contract agreement with Sprint.

Although Dell hasn’t made any formal announcements yet, it’s no secret that the company plans to enter the lucrative smartphone market eventually; and now an image of what appears to be their first offering has leaked onto the web. The rather blurry image first appeared on Chinese-language site PDAFans, showing a vaguely Palm Pre-looking device with rounded edges and a Dell logo prominently displayed on the front.


Of course this is probably the same prototype to which carriers responded negatively earlier this year on the basis of “lack of differentiation” from current and upcoming smartphones. No details regarding its innards were made available, of course, but the device appears to be running Google’s Android platform. It is still not known exactly when Dell plans on delivering its new smartphones, but unconfirmed reports claim products based on both Microsoft's Windows Mobile and Google's Android should be ready before the end of 2009.

Palm has announced that Jon Rubinstein will become the new chairman and CEO of the company, replacing Ed Colligan after 16 years at the helm. The news come just a few days after the launch of the Pre, and was apparently well received by investors, who clearly hope that the former Apple executive and head of the iPod division will usher in a new era for Palm. The company’s stock was up 12 percent, to $13.43 at the time of this writing.

Palm was one of the most popular tech companies around when the PDA was in its heyday, but its products have fallen out of favor as RIM's BlackBerry and Apple's iPhone gained share in the smartphone market. For many industry observers, Rubinstein's appointment was not a surprise – the executive has been the guiding force behind the Pre and webOS, which are expected to play a big role in turning the company around.

It’s still a bit early to tell if that will be the case, but the general consensus so far seems to be that the Pre is a fine alternative to the iPhone. As for Colligan, he will take some time off and then join Elevation Partners, the private equity firm that has a 25 percent stake in Palm.

It is now evident that Verizon will be offering the Pre at the start of next year. Quoting the usual person familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Verizon will introduce the Pre to its network in January, as Sprint will be sitting on an exclusivity contract for the remainder of 2009.

There was a period of uncertainty regarding the length of Sprint’s agreement after Verizon recently claimed it would be selling the Pre in about six months. Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse quickly countered the competitor’s statement by calling it inaccurate and suggesting that Verizon check its facts.

The Pre has seen moderate success thus far. While its sales can’t compete with the iPhone’s launch, Palm’s latest handset has broken Sprint’s debut phone sales records. There are no official numbers to go by, but as of a few days ago analysts estimated shipments between 50,000 and 100,000. Palm’s blog reports that more than 150,000 apps were downloaded on first day.

I can only hope that by the January launch, any major hardware kinks will be sorted out.

Not only is Acer a shining star in the established notebook market, they may soon become a strong player in the smartphone segment as well. Recent reports claim the company is expected to launch as many as nine models this year, in addition to the four Windows Mobile devices announced in February. Acer’s recent acquisition of smartphone vendor E-Ten gave them a bit of a jumpstart, so much so that they may overtake Asus’s position in the market within a year.

While not on the level of Nokia, RIM or Apple, Asus was at least considered to be a competitor with potential. Numerous issues getting into the market have pushed them back, however, which may leave an opening for Acer. They clearly have experience in mobile computing, and have at least one Android-based model in the works. There is a lot of choice in terms of smartphone hardware already, but it would certainly be interesting to see yet another strong competitor in the market.

According to users on the PreCentral and EverythingPre forums, the Palm Pre may still have some hardware kinks to work out, with a number of users reporting some form of screen distortion. Having just launched, as you can imagine, those on Palm's design and distribution teams might soon be in the hot seat.

A majority of those who are experiencing the anomaly speak of a similar circular distortion which manifests at the bottom of the Pre’s screen. More specifically, some describe it as a “yellow splotch” which resembles the effect of applying pressure to the screen with a finger. It also seems to be a general consensus that the discoloration gets worse as the temperature rises.

As we await for official acknowledgment from Palm, if you just laid down coin on the Pre, let’s hear your impressions thus far, yellow distortions or otherwise.

Microsoft is barring netbook manufacturers from utilizing hybrid storage solutions. Miniature notebooks housing both SSD and HDDs will not be permitted to use Windows XP, reports bit-tech. Redmond’s latest restriction will join the already enforced rule which limits netbook manufacturers to a maximum of 1GB RAM – that is, if they want to install Windows XP.

The news comes as a tough break for MSI, whose Wind U115 hybrid netbook has already hit the shelves. The device is engineered to dedicate its SSD to the OS while offering a conventional 2.5” 160GB HDD for additional storage. As a result, the company reportedly has until the end of June to yank the U115 off the market. MSI seems to be interested in remaining at peace with the software juggernaut, and will cooperate.

It’s also a bummer for NEC who recently unveiled their hybrid LaVie Light netbook in Japan. Vista is too resource intensive for Intel’s Atom CPU and Windows 7 is still 4-5 months away, so it looks like companies will either play ball with Microsoft’s XP requirements or fall back on Linux for their hybrid devices.

With the Palm Pre garnering positive reviews around the web, many are ready to shell out $199 for the device and sign a two year contract with Sprint on launch day tomorrow. However, knowing Verizon and probably AT&T will be selling the smartphone in just a few months as well, some will rather wait for it to be available on their network of choice. Obviously this would be a problem for Sprint, which counts on its exclusivity agreement and all the hype surrounding the phone to net them a few new subscribers coming from other carriers.


According to Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse, however, Verizon’s claims that it will be offering the Palm Pre within six months are not accurate. During a recent press event the executive said both Palm and Sprint have agreed not to discuss the length of the exclusivity deal, though he assured “it’s not six months,” while suggesting Verizon should check their facts. Hesse also took some time to try and convince reporters that Sprint was a “very different” company from what they were months ago, citing rising customer satisfaction surveys, independent reports of the reliability of their network, and emphasizing on its cost-saving plans compared to the competition.

Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry mobile devices, has confirmed reports of the company having purchased Dash Navigation for an undisclosed price. The acquired company has mostly been involved with GPS, producing a connected navigation unit in November of last year. Since then, Dash decided to shift its focus from delivering hardware solutions to licensing its application and service to run on other platforms.

Among those platforms include conventional navigation systems, PDAs, mobile Internet devices and smartphones and other consumer electronics. RIM’s interest is quite obvious, having a healthy market share in mobile electronics - especially smartphones. Given Dash’s lack of success and downsizing, I imagine it is safe to assume that the BlackBerry maker snatched it up at a good price. There is currently no official word on Research In Motion’s plans for the acquisition, though, nor many details regarding the transaction.

Ever since the day it was shown at CES back in January, all eyes have been on the Palm Pre. The stakes are pretty high. Not only because many believe this smartphone to be the first serious contender to Apple’s iPhone in terms of design and usability, but because its success or failure will largely decide Palm’s fate. There’s been no shortage of hype and speculation around the web, but now, just a few days away from its launch on Saturday, the first Pre hands-on reviews are actually starting to trickle in.


Reviewers came out highly impressed with the device. The multitasking features, notification system, multi touch screen, and revamped webOS platform in general all received praise for actually bringing some innovations to the mobile space rather than just following the lead. In terms of basic industrial design, the Pre also received high marks in most reviews, though some believe the build quality is only so-so and that the device “feels plasticky.” Certainly, there is room for improvement here.

There were also some other gripes with the Pre, of course, but apparently none serious enough to be a deal-breaker. These included concerns about battery life, tiny keyboard and a thin supply of applications – which could change if Palm can attract third-party developers. Overall, it looks like Palm is finally back in the market with a solid contender that has nothing to envy its rivals – unless Apple comes up with a surprise next week.

Reviews: Engadget | Gizmodo | Wall Street Journal | New York Times

The much anticipated Palm Pre smartphone is about a week away from being released, and while we’ve covered pretty much every newsworthy aspect of the device, some interesting pieces of information keep churning out from around the web. The latest tidbit comes straight from D7: All Things Digital, were Palm executives have confirmed that the Pre will effortlessly sync with Apple’s iTunes by tricking it into thinking it’s an iPod.


Although third-party applications have long been available to allow various MP3 players to sync with iTunes, Palm’s Media Sync feature is fundamentally different in that it actually uses Apple’s vendor and product id so that the Pre is recognized as an Apple device. Older copy-protected songs and, naturally, iPhone apps won’t sync with Palm’s smartphone but otherwise DRM-free songs and even photos from iPhoto will transfer without effort. It will be interesting to see how Apple reacts to this.

Not surprisingly, many of the Palm Pre engineering and development team are former Apple employees, including Jon Rubinstein, one of the designers of the original iPod. The move should provide an easier path for iPhone converts, though it’s also inherently risky, since Apple could just as easily update iTunes to block Palm’s handset from accessing its software – potentially initiating a cat and mouse game between the two.

AdMob, the world’s largest purveyor of ads on mobile apps and websites, conducted a survey to determine where smartphones sit in terms of overall Internet use. Citing a Gartner report which claimed smartphones represented 12% of total mobile sales last year, AdMob has revealed that those devices made up 35% of their traffic in April, almost triple their market share.

In addition to the information they intended to collect, it was discovered that Apple’s handsets towered above the rest in terms of Internet use. Their devices consumed an astonishing 59% of the total US smartphone traffic and 43% of the mobile Web traffic globally. More specifically, of the 7.5 billion AdMob ads displayed on mobile devices in 160 countries, 2 billion were displayed on the iPhone and iPod Touch. In the US alone, the two devices collectively represent 34.8% of requested ads.

Apple’s share of US ad requests grew 5.6% month over month and in April alone the iPhone’s share grew 3%, while the iPod Touch’s grew 2.6%. It is also interesting to note that the iPhone OS only has 8% of the global smartphone market share, and yet generates 43% of mobile Web requests and 65% of HTML usage.

Speaking at the “D: All Things Digital” conference yesterday, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he expects its company to start selling the Palm Pre once Sprint’s exclusive deal with the smartphone is up. While we've heard in the past that the device will be available at other carriers sometime next year, it wasn’t clear exactly for how long the current agreement with Sprint would be in place.


Verizon is shedding some additional light on the matter today, however, revealing plans to start selling Palm’s Pre in about six months. This is obviously good news for Palm, which will get to sell its device through the country’s largest mobile operator, while Verizon gets more than enough time to see if the smartphone actually lives up to all the hype. The carrier also plans to have the new BlackBerry Storm available in that timeframe.

For now the only version we’ll be seeing of the device is the Palm Pre for Sprint, which goes on sale June 6 through the carrier and a number of retailers across the country.

Even more good news for Android today, HTC has recently announced that they have been working up a deal with China Mobile to bring handsets sporting the Google-backed platform into the country. HTC will be using their Magic smartphone model for this latest endeavor, which will be powered by a localized version of Android to meet the needs of China Mobile – though what exactly this localization entails isn’t clear. Hopefully such changes won't serve to make Android less open, as that has been one of its selling points since the beginning.

Other manufacturers have their sights set on China as well, including Lenovo, Samsung and LG. HTC may get a first to market advantage, though; if all goes as planned their first Android-based phones for China will go on sale next month. The move has the potential to greatly increase Android's market share, which will then put the onus on the Open Handset Alliance to ensure the platform gets the level of support it will need. They may face interesting challenges with the addition of a market like China, with “modified” versions of Android potentially becoming commonplace. Supporting various iterations of Android won't be an easy task.

A handful of slides supposedly leaked from AT&T surfaced over the weekend, showing just about every smartphone coming to the carrier for the rest of the year. These include devices running Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Palm WebOS, and Android operating systems; so you may find them particularly valuable in helping you plan out possible future purchases.


First up is the HTC Fortress, AT&T’s version of the HTC Touch Pro2, which is expected to run on Windows Mobile 6.1 (presumably upgradeable to 6.5 down the road) and will feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well as a large touch screen display. A branded variant of the HTC Touch Diamond2, described as Warhawk, will follow in September boasting a similar touch screen display but no hardware keyboard. HTC also plans a new Android handset, dubbed Lancaster, which is aimed at social networking and features a sideways-sliding keyboard.

It seems the HTC Lancaster was originally planned for an August launch, though that could be delayed in order to put AT&T’s user interface on the device, rather than Google’s. Additionally the slides mention Palm’s Eos, a successor to the Centro that is expected to run WebOS, as well as an iPAQ smartphone from HP and a few BlackBerry devices that include a new Pearl supporting 3G and the upcoming Onyx.

Nokia has reported that its online app and content store, Ovi Store, is now accessible to 50 million phone users. The company hopes its service will follow the success of Apple’s App Store, which recently surpassed 1 billion downloads a mere 9 months after its official introduction. Just like the App Store, Ovi will allow users to install software and games directly to their devices at the touch of a button.


The Finland-based communications company sells roughly 400 million handsets a year, but analysts foresee it struggling to imitate Apple’s success. CCS Insight analyst, Ben Wood said that while the Ovi store is a “step in the right direction, Apple is still the king of the hill when it comes to selling applications.” To guarantee success, experts are saying that Nokia needs to place an emphasis on the Ovi Store’s social element, including how users rate applications and recommend software to friends.

Other companies trying to capitalize on similar services include Research in Motion, the company behind the BlackBerry, Microsoft and Google.

According to a New York Times report, phone carriers Bharti Airtel and MTN Group have announced plans to join forces. The companies have apparently agreed on a stock and cash swap, the initial stride toward a full merger. If everything comes to fruition, India’s largest cellular company, Bharti, would effectively add to its 100 million subscribers 49% of MTN which has an equivalent number of customers throughout Africa and the Middle East. Consequently, MTN would acquire 36% of Bharti Airtel and both companies plan to fully merge in the future.

The MTN-Bharti Airtel combination would result in $20 billion annual revenue and 200 million subscribers, only to be topped by China Mobile and Vodafone in customer numbers. Bharti Enterprises’ chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, called the deal “a shining example” of cooperation between South Asia and South Africa. The chief executive over at MTN, Phuthuma Nhleko, said the deal would “create a highly visible commercial partnership between South Africa and India.”

Many companies in established economies are struggling to keep afloat and seeking ways to cut costs. However, those relying on developing economies like India or Africa for their primary sales have yet to feel the full brunt of the storm. Both companies have just recently passed the 100 million-customer mark. Mr. Mittal said in an interview last month, that his goal was to build one of the world’s “largest and most successful telecom companies.”

As you are probably aware by now, Sprint and Palm have officially announced that the long awaited Palm Pre will make its debut on June 6, and will be available for $199 after a tedious $100 mail-in rebate process – which means it's really $299 for a lot of people. After all, in the excitement of purchasing a new and shiny gadget, it's sometimes easy to forget about following through that last step.


If you go to Best Buy, however, you’ll be able to get it for the advertised $199 price without the hassle. The consumer electronics retailer has announced that it will offer the Palm Pre with an instant rebate, not a mail-in one, in its 1,067 Best Buy Mobile locations throughout the country. You will, of course, have to sign a two-year contract with Sprint nonetheless – but this is still the best deal around. The question is how many will many will be in stock? Especially since Palm’s CEO is already talking about a shortage of Pre handsets at launch.

After tasting success with its trial run of selling subsidized netbooks in a few company stores, AT&T has decided to sell the miniature laptops nationwide in a few months. In coordination with this, the company intends on expanding its netbook offerings. Starting as early as June, AT&T will sell netbooks with integrated 3G cards from Acer, Dell and Lenovo at 2,200 of their stores across the US. They will also continue to sell the devices on their website.

The Dallas-based carrier began selling netbooks last month in Atlanta and Philadelphia, and in a number of US cities, RadioShack is already selling the Acer Aspire with AT&T access. According to the phone company, sales have been comprised of a wide spectrum of people, including teenagers, busy moms and small business owners.

As with most carriers and a majority of their devices, netbooks from AT&T are discounted when packaged with a service contract. Those willing to commit to a data plan starting at a monthly $40 and $60 have been able to obtain the Acer Aspire for $99 and less – a steep discount from the retail price.

Microsoft has opened up the testing process for its mobile phone synchronization service, My Phone, to all Windows Mobile users running version 6.0 or higher of the operating system. Formerly codenamed Skybox, the service gives users 200MB of free storage to back up and sync information on their handheld such as contacts, calendar appointments, text messages, photos and videos to a password-protected site hosted by Microsoft.


Besides announcing the open beta on the My Phone Engineering blog, Microsoft also disclosed some features that will come with the full release, including ways to remotely make the phone ring or wipe its data and to find lost phones using GPS. The first generation of the service is expected to be released in final form this fall, around the time that Windows Mobile 6.5 phones come to market.