This announcement hardly comes out of left field. We already knew that Bell/Virgin would have about a month’s worth of exclusivity on the new Android phone during the holiday shopping season, but the other major carriers would get their shot at ICS in January. While it was previously rumored that Rogers and Fido would get the Galaxy Nexus on January 10 (Tuesday), it looks like they’re getting bumped to the same release date as Telus: Friday the 13th. Hopefully that’s not a bad omen.

While Rogers, Fido, and Telus haven’t made a formal announcement about the pricing for the Galaxy Nexus, we imagine that it’ll fall in line with Bell’s pricing scheme of $160 on contract and $650 straight up. At the same time, considering what we saw with the Nexus S before it, the competition between carriers might see some price adjustments for further enticement.

The post Samsung Galaxy Nexus Expands to Telus Universe January 13 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Galaxy Nexus is expected to be release very soon, it’s even now listed in the VZW’s Device Management system as “Samsung Galaxy Nexus”, confirming the “G-Nex” nickname. According to the listing, the new phone will have a 4G LTE radio to take advantage of the fastest network out there.

We also know that the device will not hit the global market just yet, as it shows an “N” for “No” in that category. This could turn up to be frustrating for a lot of people, considering the GSM version will be able to travel the globe.

Concerns about battery life come especially since 4G is listed as one of the features of the new device, but most importantly because it might join the rest of the Verizon LTE devices, who have been having battery problems lately.  Samsung is definitely on the right track, they have announced on Monday that over 30 million Galaxy S/Galaxy S II smartphones have been sold globally. This is a good jump since their 10 million Galaxy S II units sold since late September.  The Galaxy S II is the companies fastest selling handset, it sold 3 million units in 55 days. “Since its launch only five months ago, Galaxy S II has seen tremendous sales success and garnered enthusiastic reviews from consumers and mobile industry watchers across the globe,” president and head of Samsung’s mobile business JK Shin said. “This is in addition to the continued sales momentum behind Galaxy S, which we launched at Mobile World Congress 2010 as continues to be a run-away success with consumers.”

The post New Samsung Google Phone Named Galaxy Nexus, Has 4G appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Let’s say you are in love with the looks of the Blackberry (seriously, who isn’t?). But then, you also want to use the Android app market (again, who wouldn’t?). And you know that you can’t have both of them in the same phone. So you decide to buy both so that you can drool over the beautiful Blackberry and marvel the Android apps. And then, just before buying, you are reminded of your budget. What next? Panic not. Motorola and Verizon’s $ 180 Droid Pro comes to your rescue. The pre-orders have already begun, and the shipping is expected to start anytime around 18 November.

Just like its predecessor, Droid Pro also flaunts a mighty set of features. To begin with, we have a 3.1 inches wide touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard, a 5 MP still and video camera, a modest 4 GB memory (with 2 GB internal), Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity options – all managed by a 1 GHz processor. Talking in terms of softwares, the Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS is coupled with Adobe Flash Player 10.1, QuickOffice Productivity Suite and in-built support for push email and calendar from both Google and Exchange. Sounds good right? Wait, there is more to come. The device is also expected to have security features such as VPN integration, remote wipe and complex password support to be followed by device and SD card encryption in early 2011.  Two more notable features:

• Quickoffice Mobile Suite – you can create and edit Office files on the go
• 3G Mobile HotSpot functionality – share your 3G connection with up to 5 devices

The Droid Pro is expected to cost nearly $279.99 up front with a two year service agreement followed by a 100$ Verizon debit card later in the mail. So that means it will be $20 cheaper than the iPhone, most Windows 7 phones or even Motorola Droid X. With affordability on its side, expectations from Droid Pro are indeed high. Pre-orders for the Android 2.2-based Droid Pro begin today.

The post Verizon’s Blackberry killer is here! appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

According to Gizmodo, the Samsung/Google Nexus Two will have a four-inch AMOLED screen, a black and shiny body, a curved and tapered back, and Android 3.0 Gingerbread. On the flip side, PCMag is saying that while Samsung is working on an unlocked Android phone, it’s not necessarily the Nexus Two.

Either way, it seems that Samsung is holding a press conference on November 8 and it’s on this day we think they’ll reveal the Nexus Two (or whatever it’s called). That happens to be the same day as the Windows Phone 7 launch. Coincidence? Maybe not, but it does look like a good day to be a smartphone fan.

SOURCE: Giz

The post Google Nexus Two based on Samsung Galaxy S platform? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Does this mean that you have no way to buy a Nexus One anymore? No, not at all. If you happen to be living in places like Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and South Korea, there are carriers there that will not only sell you a Nexus One, they’ll subsidize it (with contract). Google is also planning on selling the phone directly to registered Android developers.

If you happen to be reside outside of those countries, you can always turn to those third-party importers to get your hands on a Nexus One instead. Sure, you could just opt for any of the many other Android phones, but remember that the Nexus One was and is the only “official” Google phone. That’s special.

[AndroidAndMe.com]

The post Google sells out of Nexus One smartphones appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

That’s the bad news, but there are two smaller tidbits of good news. First, Google will continue to offer support through its customer service lines. So, if you already have one of these devices in hand, you can still get help when you need it. Second, Google is looking for a way to continue selling the Nexus One through a sales partner, but these sales will be restricted to registered app developers.

I guess you go out and buy just about any other Google Android device offered through your carrier of choice, but those oftentimes contain some carrier-specific doo-dahs. The Nexus One is, as far as we can tell, the only true clean-slate and completely unlocked Android that you can get on a very official basis.  Are we to expect the Google Nexus Two?

[Google]

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iPhone 4, Google's next-phone, HTC EVO

With all the iPhone 4 glitz and glamour out there, some other options may get left behind. The HTC Droid Incredible which we looked at just a few weeks back is quite the challenger, but the EVO seems to be a more advanced offering from HTC. There’s also the possibility of a new Google phone, perhaps a Nexus 2, coming to combat the iPhone 4. So what gives you that charged and static feeling?  Will you dive in to what Apple has to offer?  Go for the HTC EVO on Sprint, or perhaps wait and see how Google responds to the iPhone 4? Let us know in the poll below.

[poll id=5]

The post What will ye have? An iPhone 4, HTC EVO, or the next Google Phone? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Google Nexus One phone - Photo: Flickr member Pittaya

It’s here Canada. Google’s Nexus One phone just got released for the Canadian market and US customers on AT&T.  Previous Nexus One phones would only utilize 2G and EDGE network connectivity, not the best for your Android experience, but good enough.  Now Google has announced a compatible 3G version, so T-Mobile USA is no longer the only one with a Nexus offering and Canadian Rogers Wireless customers can get on board.

The phone can be purchased from Google’s phone store for $529 USD, free shipping in the USA.  That’s also unlocked, no contracts, outright yours.  You can take this anywhere on any supporting network by just poping in a valid SIM card.

This means there are now two Nexus One phone versions. Both support four GSM radio frequencies (850/900/1800/1900), but 3G/UMTS bands will differ depending on the version selected. When ordering your Nexus One, you’ll need to choose from one of the following:

• 3G coverage on networks that use the 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz frequency bands (recommended for use on AT&T in the US and Rogers Wireless in Canada)
• 3G coverage on networks that use the 900 MHz, AWS, and 2100 MHz frequency bands (recommended for use on T-Mobile in the US)

Of course the Nexus One will connect with 2G/EDGE and WiFi.  For more information on country/carrier specific compatibility, check Google’s help page.

The post Google Nexus One phone now shipping to Canada and AT&T USA appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Mobile01 has released two photos of  the Motorola Shadow, and it basically looks like the Droid or Milestone.

The Motorola Shadow is using bold color, the white QWERTY keyboard has been redesigned and they added a wrist strap. A leak from a few weeks back announced just a few specs; a super-thin body, 4.3-inch screen with 800 x 484 resolution.

This  could be a candidate for the next Google Phone, perhaps as the Nexus 2. No hard facts on that just yet and might be still too soon for Google.

The post Motorola Shadow, a Droid, Nexus 2 or… appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Earlier rumors pointed toward an unsubsidized price of $199 for an unlocked Nexus One, but that does not appear to be the case anymore. Instead, the full retail price is a cool $530, according to some leaked Google docs.

That’s quite a lot more, wouldn’t you say? If you’re looking to save a few bucks, you can take the subsidized route with T-Mobile. Sign up for the two-year contract and they’ll give you the Nexus One for $180, but there’s a catch. You can’t just sign up for any old plan.

Instead, you will be forced into the $39.99 Even More plan, as well as the text and web options, bringing your total monthly bill up to $79.99 not including taxes. Should you cancel within 120 days, they’ll ask you to pay the $350 subsidized difference.

Other highlights from the leaked doc say that people on other plans will have to buy the unlocked, unsubsidized version unless they want to switch to the plan mentioned above. You are also limited to five Nexus one handsets per Google account. The doc points toward shipping outside of the US too, so this is not unlike the original dev version of the G1.

Source: BGR

The post Nexus One Google Phone Ain’t So Cheap After All appeared first on Mobile Magazine.