Cell Bytes

Sprint has just used the CTIA fall conference taking place now to debut three new Android devices: Samsung Transform, Sanyo Zio and LG Optimus S. Also, the carrier announced its Sprint ID personalization tool. Of the trio, Transform impresses the most, with its high end specifications.

Here’s what the Transform is all about:

Display: 3.5 inch HVGA
Keyboard: horizontal sliding QWERTY
Camera: 3.2MP, flash, VGA front facing camera
Memory: 2GB microSD card
OS: Android 2.1 (Froyo update coming)

This Samsung model will reach the market on October 10th, with a $149.99 price tag, accompanied by a 2 year contract and $100 mail in rebate. Next up is Sanyo Zio, recently available on Cricket and packing the following specs:

Display: 3.5 inch WVGA touchscreen
Memory: 512MB internal memory, 2GB microSD card
Camera: 3.2MP, 30 fps video capture
OS: Android 2.1

Zio will also take off on October 10th, for $99.99 with a 2 year contract and $100 mail in rebate. Last on the list, LG Optimus S was leaked earlier this week and now reveals its feature list:

Display: 3.2 inch touchscreen
Camera: 3.2MP
Memory: microSD card slot
OS: Android 2.2

Launch date is October 31st, while the price is around $49.99 with 2 year commitment and $100 mail in rebate.

As far as the Sprint ID tool is concerned, this service is used to customize the experience on the carrier’s new handsets. You’ll get packs including apps, widgets, ringtones and wallpapers. Sprint teamed with brands like eBay, ESPN, MTV, E!, Disney, Comcast, Amazon and more to provide content and customization. 13 free packs will be available initially.

In spite of AT&T not yet launching its LTE/4G network, the carrier recently announced a LTE-compatible product, the LG Adrenaline USB dongle. This is the very first device supporting the new type of connectivity and we learn that it’ll receive an upgrade in order to work on the company’s 4G network, once it rolls out in 2011.

LG Adrenaline goes for $49.99 with a 2 year contract and till the 4G kicks in, you’ll use it to access HSPA and WiFi, if you’re a DataConnect or DataConnect Pass plan owner. Meanwhile, AT&T has another product announcement to make: Pantech Laser is ready for debut, as the thinnest full sliding keyboard handset ever.

Pantech Laser measures 9.95mm in thickness, packs a 3.1 inch AMOLED touch display, social networking features and 3MP camera. It’ll debut on October 17 for $99.99 with a contract.

T-Mobile’s announcing that they’ll be carrying the budget-priced LG Optimus T to bring a middle-of-the-road Android experience for a very affordable price. It comes with a 3.2-inch touchscreen with Swype, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities, and Android 2.2. From the looks of things it’s almost the exact same device as the LG Optimus S for Sprint (save for Sprint ID, and the T will have LG’s custom launcher) – which we’ll have video of  shortly – and if that’s the case it won’t disappoint for the price. Read on for full press details.

LG Optimus T with Google

Available exclusively from T-Mobile, LG Optimus T with Google was created specifically for consumers who have yet to make the transition to the world of smartphones and who are looking for an easy-to-use and affordable option. It provides first-time smartphone users with all the tools they need to stay organized in one sleek and stylishly designed handset. Featuring Voice Actions for Android, users can control their smartphone through voice commands, including sending a text message/email, listening to music, calling contacts, searching Google, getting directions or going to a website. LG Optimus T also delivers easy access to Android Market™ with thousands of downloadable apps and widgets from around the world and access to social networking websites, such as Twitter®, Facebook® and MySpace™.

Key Features:

• Android Platform 2.2 with fully integrated Google services, including Voice Actions for Android, Google Search™ by Voice, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and Google Talk™
• Customizable home screen, expandable to seven panes, with a menu of pre-installed widgets and LG App Organizer for the optimal personalized application experience
• 3.2-inch touch screen display with virtual QWERTY keyboard, and accelerometer
• SWYPE® text input for fast, accurate communication
• Full HTML Web browser and zoom functionality
• Personal and corporate e-mail capability, including support for Exchange, Gmail and most POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts as well as synchronization with Google and corporate contacts and calendars
• 3.2 megapixel camera with digital zoom and camcorder
• Mobile instant messaging via Google Talk

We have all been there. Surfing the Android Market only to stumble upon an app listed in a foreign currency. Sure, we can do some deductive reasoning to try to pinpoint where the price lies on a local scale, or we could even bust out a currency converter to figure out the exact price. But Google is making that predicament irrelevant as the Android Market is now doing the math for us and spitting out approximate local values for apps published in other countries.

Prices that have been converted will show a “~” in front to denote an approximate rate based on current exchange values. If there is no “~” then the app was already locally priced. The interesting part arrises when you go to purchase the app. Google checkout will revert to displaying the pricing in the currency of the country it originates from. Not a huge deal given that you most likely didn’t forget the conversion on the way over, but still a little hiccup in the system.

Has anyone else noticed the change in the Market? Good to see Google is finally beginning to address some of the bigger issues that have made the Android Market a less than stellar resource for purchasing apps.

[via Distimo]

We’re met with another day of the week and no shortage of Android tablets in sight. This one’s from a company called Disgo and doesn’t offer much different from any of their competitors attacking the market in its price range of £180. A resistive WVGA touchscreen, 1GHz prcoessor, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of internal storage, WiFi N, microSD card slots, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and mini USB ports make up the usual bits.

It does offer something a bit more extra, however, in micro HDMI-out port. That alone might be worth the price of admission for some of you, but everything else is pretty standard. We’re sure there’s no Android market to be had with this so you’ll have to look to third party marketplaces to get the apps you want on it.

[via Reg]

Quick. How do you get the attention of a room full of Japanese people? Robots. Big remote controlled robots. And that is exactly what this RIC Android did at the Google Developer’s Day in Tokyo. The big green Droid can walk, move its arms, and open wide to reveal a set of speakers all through commands sent over Wi-Fi from an Android phone.

And Google wants to hire the thing out to those willing to pay the price. No, this ain’t a two cent hooker. This big boy will go for $6,200 a day. A small price to pay if you need to keep those Japanese business men in town to decide whether or not they want to invest in your app startup busy all day.

[via Gizmodo]