Has the Recording Industry Association of America reached any deals with leading U.S. internet service providers that would terminate service to online file sharers of copyrighted music? Not a single major ISP contacted by Wired.com admitted to going along. And Verizon, with 8.5 million internet subscribers, balked at the proposal.
Obviously this slider, codenamed Niagra, is a pretty large departure from the Razr tradition—it's a slider, after all. But its lineage would appear to be undeniable, considering the distinctive keypad, thin profile and metallic finish. That said, all of the vowels in the name appear to be vital to pronunciation, so the bloodline can't be totally pure.
As for the Fairbanks and Harmony clamshell phones (below), there is little reason to believe that these are anything but a minor update to Moto's existing entry-level free-on-contract handsets. As with the smartphone leak, these renders came naked. In other words specs, prices and release dates are still a mystery, albeit one that will certainly be solved, unspectacularly, with some form of press release. [BGR via Slashphone]
Pandora's free internet radio service is now streaming personalized music to WinMo devices—well, the Motorola Q9c and HTC XV6900 on Verizon and the Motorola Q9c and HTC Touch on Sprint anyway.
If you don't happen to have one of these phones, don't worry. Pandora plans on getting around to other Windows Mobile devices over time. The video above illustrates the service running on a Moto Q9c. [Phone Scoop and Artificial Ignorance]
I have to give props to Wilson Rothman and the features team at Gizmodo. They offer some excellent information from a multi-city test where they pitted 3G networks against each other. Contending were the big-three: Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. T-Mobile was likely left out since they’re relatively new to the 3G market here in the [...]
Our first thought when we saw Boy Genius Report's alleged shots of Moto phones that'll find a home on Verizon in 2009 was, "holy cow, these look fake." And yes, granted, they're all renders -- but what really set off the alarms for us was the fact that they look... well, nothing like Motorolas. At all. But then we thought about it for a second and realized that hey, you know, when you're a once-great cellphone manufacturer losing market share hand over first and you're looking for the Next Big Thing, you probably want to try something a little new, a little fresh, and a little crazy. So on that note, Verizon can apparently expect a "Rush 2" early in the year that continues Moto's contribution to the low-cost messaging phone trend; the "Calgary" (pictured), looking like a high-end Sidekick Slide minus the Sidekick; the "Inferno," presumably succeeding the ZN4 (which was coincidentally codenamed "Blaze"); and finally the gorgeous "Flash," which -- as far as we're concerned -- should just take the A3000's place. So yeah, these could be an elaborate hoax, but for Motorola's sake, we hope they're not.
In this latest game of cybersquatting Whac-A-Mole, Verizon has won a massive settlement against a company for sitting on over 600 domains related to Verizon's brand. Now it just has to track someone down to deliver the bill.
The T-Mobile G1 phone has been fairly successful so far, although it hasn't yet approached usurping the iPhone from its lofty consumer throne. And so the rumors have already started about the possibility of an Android G2 phone. The latest round of rumors started at Mobile Top Soft, which reported that the HTC Touch HD phone would arrive in the U.S. instead as the T-Mobile G2 phone running Google's Android OS. Cell Phone Signal then picked up the rumor, adding some preliminary specs for the G2 as well as the shockingly early release date of January 26. The rumor built up momentum from there until The Boy Genius Report cited an anonymous source that Cell Phone Signal's report was fairly accurate with the exception of the date, which is now rumored to be between late February and April.
The specs for the G2 are reportedly almost the same as the G1 with some notable exceptions. The G2 will not have a physical keyboard of any kind, instead favoring a full touch keyboard more akin the iPhone. And though the G2 will be more centered on the touch screen, the track ball will remain on the phone for those who prefer it for navigation. The other notable possible addition is a VGA camera in addition to the existing 5-megapixel camera. The new camera should support better video calling, which would help differentiate the G2 from competitors like the iPhone.
Supposedly the G2 will also be available through other carriers than just T-Mobile. T-Mobile still owns the G1, G2, and G3 names, so it is unknown what other carriers will be calling it. I feel it's fairly safe to say, though, that AT&T will not be one of those carriers, but I'd be looking at Sprint and Verizon to make announcements as early as next month if the February date is true.
You might have also noticed that I mentioned that T-Mobile owns the G3 name. Well, that is because The Boy Genius Report's anonymous tipster also mentioned that sometime late next year we can expect A G3 phone to debut. It is still way too early to be talking about G3 rumors, especially since the G2 rumors aren't confirmed, but I will say this much: G3 rumors could have a huge negative impact on G2 sales. If people know before the G2 even comes out that a new model is expected not too far in the future, there isn't going to be any motivation to upgrade to a G2. I know Google is anxious to get the Android OS onto as many phones as possible, but with rumors like these it's just shooting itself in the foot.
Here is a list of the very best 2008 Gizmodo Features. We all worked very hard to push features forward this year, and looking back, it looks like our efforts were well worth it. Enjoy!
See how the features progressed towards being bigger and better towards the end of 2008? I feel like a proud papa. And next year is going to be even better. Happy New Years everyone, thanks for reading our features.
While AT&T and Verizon Wireless are both opting for LTE over WiMAX, each has a different strategy to combat the 4G competition. In fact, it reminds me of the tortoise and the hare. As the rabbit, VZW is simply moving their 4G time-table up as quickly as they can because their EV-DO Rev. A technology [...]
We had an inkling that Casio and Verizon were up to something when we caught an Exilim-branded phone working its way through the FCC, and it looks like that hunch was right-on -- check out this hot snap of an Exilim NX9250 that just turned up. We're told that the chubby-looking handset features a 5.1 megapixel camera (right, Exilim) and "possibly" a WVGA screen, and those hinges suggest a swivel-flip design -- too bad it doesn't look as slick as that W63CA we were secretly hoping for. We'll see what this one looks like all dolled up -- we've got a feeling we'll find out soon enough. One more shot after the break.
Every January, more than 140,000 gadget-gropers pile into Las Vegas for a solid-state bacchanalia known as the International Consumer Electronics Show. All too often, I am one of them. And all too often, despite walking through so many booths that my pedometer hits quintuple digits, I leave unsatisfied. The gear that I court is nowhere to be found.
Maybe I haven't been explicit enough regarding my hopes and desires. Here's what I'd like to see in 2009.
The Kindle killer Jeff Bezos gave us a terrific first rev of an always-on electronic reader, but the Kindle falls short in key areas: pricing, button placement, and software.What it really needs is competition. Bezos once told me that he'd be open to letting another e-reader access the vast Amazon.com store. (Which makes sense, since selling stuff is what Amazon is all about.) So maybe some company renowned for making awesome consumer tech could call his bluff and make an e-reader with a color touchscreen and a better interface. Steve Jobs has said he's not interested because "people don't read anymore," but plenty of Apple's biggest fans seem to value the written word. How about it, Steve?
One laptop per adult At CES there will undoubtedly be flocks of cheap, capable netbooks. But none are as distinctive (and quirky) as One Laptop per Child's XO, the $100 computer that actually sells for $185. I was skeptical about the XO at first but was pleasantly surprised by its ruggedness, screen quality, antenna sensitivity, and software, which treats every app as an invitation to collaborate. Yes, it's great that OLPC wants to sell these in bulk to kids in developing nations, but I'd like to see a consumer company license its innovations to make an adult-safe version (with a real keyboard) for the price of an iPod classic. (Think grey plastic instead of green.) I'm not talking about the recently implemented Windows OLPC, but something with a bare-bones OS and plenty of flash storage that runs Google apps like a racehorse. Want one even cheaper? Build in EVDO and let Sprint or Verizon subsidize the cost. That way, the $100 laptop might sell for $1.
The Consumer Electronics Show debuted in New York in 1967; 17,500 attendees saw goods from 200 exhibitors. Now it's 140,000 people and 2,700 companies — in Vegas.
A $99 Blu-ray player Just before CES 2008, Warner Bros. Entertainment chose Blu-ray as its sole hi-def disc format, and that decision made the show into a funeral for rival HD DVD. But Blu-ray is still struggling. Turns out, standard-def DVDs look pretty good on a big TV, and the age of HD digital downloading is just over the horizon. If Blu-ray wants to wedge its way into the media ecology, it can't wait two years to drop the cost of entry from the current $400 or so—someone has to flood the market with slim, versatile players that break the three-digit price barrier. Are you listening, Sony?
Internet car radio A few football fields' worth of CES booth space is typically occupied by automotive electronics. But so far I haven't seen the perfect product: an in-dash Internet music player that streams any Internet radio station or music service (don't forget podcasts).
A really big TV screen Really big. Every year at CES, the Asian electronics giants play "mine's bigger" with flat-panel displays. It's the high tech version of the World's Largest Pig exhibit at the county fair, where gawkers pay a few quarters to stare at a heaving half-ton swine too bloated to stand up. In 2005, Samsung broke the 100-inch barrier, accelerating a space race that led to last year's Panasonic 150-inch Life Screen, a plasma TV that's bigger than a king-size bed. Nice start, but hey, this is the 21st century, and we've got needs. Can't these wimps break the 200-inch barrier? Haven't they learned anything from Diamond Vision? Are we not men? Forget the recession—give us a screen so big we'll need a map to navigate it and we'll never leave the house again.
A Big Lebowski sequel Nothing to do with CES. Just asking.
It's no secret that landlines are getting replaced by mobile phones. As soon as Verizon lights up the dark fiber they put in my front lawn five months, I'm cutting the landline cord myself. Unless I keep running out of juice on the mobile phone that is. So if phone...
It's 2009, folks, so we figured we'd start it off with a bang (and about a gazillion comments in this post). George, a proud member of the USMC, is pondering what to do about a new smartphone, and given that your New Year's resolution was undoubtedly to ditch your dumbphone in favor of a more sophisticated model, you'll probably be interested as well. "I am currently in the market for a new carrier and phone. I have Verizon now, but I am not all that happy with its service in my area. With the release of all the high end phones nowadays, one could get easily lost in the details. I currently have the LG Voyager; I like the phone, but I feel trapped and can't do much with it unless I pay for every little thing. I would like a mobile with WiFi, camera (with flash if possible), touchscreen, etc. I would like to stay under $200 with a 2-year contract. Any advice would be wonderful." It's tough, ain't it George? There's the G1, iPhone 3G, Bold, Storm -- the list rolls on. So, let's spark up a sane, intelligent conversation on the pros and cons of each, all while remembering that our ideal handset sadly didn't arrive in time for Christmas. Interested in getting your own inquiry up in here? Send one over to ask at engadget dawt com.
In today's Q3 Conference Call, Verizon stated that the Blackberry Storm has been their top seller over the last month, attracting new BB converts in droves.
RIM wouldn't release specific numbers, according to Alley Insider, but did say that the Storm launch brought in the highest number of new RIM subscribers for a single day. Following that trend, over 75% of Storm buyers have been new Blackberry users, as opposed to former Pearl/Curve/8800 users (they're all buying the Bold).
And either they had low expectations or sales are actually great, but Verizon is having trouble meeting demands at the moment. Take THAT, David Pogue! [Alley Insider]
Yesterday's purported renders of 
Pandora's 
Here is a list of the very best 2008 Gizmodo Features. We all worked very hard to push features forward this year, and looking back, it looks like our efforts were well worth it. Enjoy!
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It's 2009, folks, so we figured we'd start it off with a bang (and about a gazillion comments in this post). George, a proud member of the USMC, is pondering what to do about a new 
In today's Q3 Conference Call, Verizon stated that the 