Kyocera has finally decided to enter the Android market by announcing their first Android phone the Zio M6000. The Zio will ship with Android version 1.6. The Zio is a tri-band CDMA EVDO Rev. Which is a handset that supports the 800/1700/1900MHz bands. By utilizing these three bands this makes the Zio compatabile with networks operated by Sprint, Verizon and smaller networks such as Cricket. Other features of the new Android phone by Kyocera include WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. The Zio comes with a 3.5 inch WVGA screen with 800 x 480 pixels. The Zio also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with dedicated camera key and video capture at 30 frames per second. Additional features include a digital compass, accelerometer and support for microSD cards up to 32GB.

While it is still unknown when any US carriers will offer the Zio it is safe to say that Kyocera is looking to make quite the splash in the Android market. For their first Android phone the Zio is set to be one of the better Android phones on the market. With all of the features that come standard with this particular model the Zio is expected to be a hit in both the US and foreign markets. I am especially excited to check out the digital compass and video capture camera. There are two pretty cool features that most mobile devices do not currently have.

For their first Android phone it appears as if Kyocera has hit a homerun with the Zio. I will be expecting big things out of them in the future when they learn what more of their consumers are looking for and can incorporate those wishes into newer and more powerful Android phones and for unlocked cell phones.

Everyone with an ounce of app development experience has come up with something for either the iPhone or the Android, and even the FCC is getting in on the fun.  The purpose of the app, according to their website, is to “provide Americans with additional information about their mobile data connection and create awareness about the mobile broadband connection quality.  While some people might understandably be concerned with an app designed by the Feds installed on their phone, all the app really does is monitor data upload and download speeds.  The FCC is set to release a new national broadband plan on 3/16, which will stress the need for improved cell phone data networks.

The data collected through this app will analyze geographical coverage and quality throughout the United States, essentially providing them an auditing tool for cell phone carrier claims and commercial coverage maps.  It will also, quite simply, allow the user to see what kind of data speed they are getting from their cell phone carrier in specific locations.  You can also find out the speed of your broadband connection by either turning on your cell phone WiFi, or checking out Broadband.gov.  This information generally isn’t as valuable for you as the end user, as you can’t move a fixed connection for better coverage as you can with a cell phone.

Tests were recently conducted by the FCC in Seattle and Los Angeles, using a number of phones and carriers, and the results were a little surprising.  Verizon’s Droid in Seattle blew away all other results, registering 3G speeds of 1.71 MBPS downloads and .82 MBPS uploads.  The iPhone in Los Angeles came in with speeds of 1.35 MBPS downloads and .21 uploads, while Google’s Nexus One on T-Mobile in Seattle came in significantly slower at .29 MBPS downloads and .35 MBPS uploads.

Recently Verizon Wireless and Skype have announced that they will be joining forces and offer Skype’s application to unlocked mobile phone users over the wireless 3G network.  With this easy to use offer Verizon 3G customers who have a data plan can use Skype mobile to:

-          Make and receive unlimited Skype to Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe.

-          Call international numbers at competitive Skype Out calling rates

-          Send and receive instant messages to other Skype users

-          Remain always connected with the ability to see friends’ online presence

With this new feature Verizon Wireless is basically extending their customer’s unlimited calling community to anyone who uses Skype around the globe.  With Skype quickly becoming one of the most popular instant messaging and VoIP programs on the internet this partnership is a great move for both Skype and Verizon Wireless to help grow the Skype brand.

Since many people will want to be continuously connected to their Skype conversations and friend list having the ability to carry these conversations on your mobile phone, like the Sony Ericsson Aspen, is a very logical step.  Also, since Verizon Wireless will be rolling out this partnership over the 3G network there should be great reliability for anyone who will be using the Skype platform for their competitive international calling rates.

It will be interesting to see if any of the other mobile phone carries follow in Verizon’s footsteps and add Skype’s features to their network in the near future.

On the heels of their recent announcement regarding the upcoming rollout of the highly anticipated 4G network Verizon Wireless’s CTO Anthony Melone has targeted next summer as the time frame for the carrier’s first LTE handset release.  While the aforementioned 4G network is expected to be ready by the end of this year all of us tech junkies will have to wait a little longer for the first unlocked cell phone handset.

It should be well worth the wait though as these new mobile devices are expected to have the same downloading and uploading speed as your home computer.  In the current test markets in Boston and Seattle engineers were blown away by the results they were seeing which is a great sign for the possibilities to come.  Also, videos will be able to be seen in 1080p high definition which should really revolutionize the way people consume video content on their mobile devices.

There is one bit of bad news that is expected to come with the awesome power of the new 4G network.  It appears that Verizon and even AT&T are headed down the path of eliminating unlimited data plans and moving to a tiered structure.  While it does make sense for these companies to charge people for the amount of data they download or even upload it is still a bummer that we finally get some great internet speeds on our mobile devices like the Blackberry Pearl but will have to pay more to fully enjoy them.

Looking at comScore’s January quarter cell phone manufacturer and platform market share statistics in the United States, we see some interesting trends.  Despite a sharp decrease in global sales, Motorola mobile devices surprisingly still maintains a 22.9% market share of American cell phone subscribers.  They saw a 1.2% decrease since October 2009, which is strange considering the release of the success of the Droid in recent months.  Considering Motorola’s lack of smart phone offerings, it tells you that the smart phone does not quite dominate the cell phone market as much as one might expect.  Samsung recently claimed to hold the number one spot in U.S. market share, but as with any claim, you need to take with a grain of salt and dig a little deeper.  When referring to total sales, and not current subscribers, this claim could be feasible, as there are still a huge number of legacy RAZR phones floating around and inflating these numbers.

Looking at the other popular smart phone manufacturers and platforms, Blackberry, iPhone, and Android all saw gains this quarter, while Palm and Windows Mobile each saw large downturns.  Regarding the decreases, it seems as though most can be attributed to a large number of Palm OS and WinMO phone subscribers coming off their contracts.  At this point, at the tail end of two year contracts, those operating systems are antiquated at best.  It’s well known that WinMo is well past its expiration date, with most people who used Windows Mobile heading to the Droid, iPhone, or Blackberry.

Blackberry and iPhone still dominate the smartphone landscape, but it seems like Droid is determined to steal some market share, as they’ve already gained 4.3% since it was released in November 2009.  It will be interesting to see if the Droid can continue to win over loyal iPhone and Blackberry users in the next quarter.

According to CareerBuilders.com, 57% of mobile workers (meaning people who primarily work on the road), use their unlocked cell phone while in the bathroom.  And I’m not going to lie, I do this regularly myself.  Polling 5,200 respondents, they found a host of interesting stats.  Not only do we engage in dirty behavior, the majority of us also engage in extremely RISKY behavior.  54% of all workers admitted to checking their phones while driving, and in no surprise, in their never ending quest to make a sale, 66% of sales workers admitted to smartphoning behind the wheel.  In one of the most disturbing responses, half of all health care workers admitted to using cell phones in their cars.  We can only hope that statistic does not include ambulance drivers.

It truly is an addiction.  Almost one fifth of all respondents said they check their phone immediately after it vibrates or beeps, and the same percentage says that their employer demands they be reachable via cell phone after work hours.  Most professionals relay on their smart phones such as the Motorola Backflip, for a non-stop flow of incoming and outgoing information, and based on the above stats, I’d be surprised if we don’t see an increase in state and federal legislation penalizing those who use their cell phones while driving.  Some other interesting stats taken from this study:

• 62% check during a meal
• 60% check while on vacation
• 57% check while in the bathroom
• 50% check while lying in bed at night
• 25% check when at the movies
• 18% check while on a date
• 17% check while working out at the gym
• 17% check when attending their kid’s  events
• And in a move that will probably shock and disgust your Grandmother, 11% admit to checking their smartphones while at church!

If you are a movie aficionado like me then you will want to pay close attention to this post.  Movie ticket website Fandango announced today that will start selling movie tickets that can be scanned from your mobile device immediately.  Similar to the 2-D barcodes that are available with some airlines Fandango’s tickets can be scanned at the ticket booth at selected theaters.

Currently this new technology is only available in a few select theaters and cities such as New York, Dallas, Houston and San Diego but is expected to be rolled out to more cities in the coming months if the tests prove effective.  The costs of movie tickets will be the same if you use this new feature on your cell phone.

This is truly fantastic news if you like going to the movies but hate standing in those lines to get your tickets.  You will never miss a show again because of it being sold out while you are waiting to get your tickets.  You will be able to purchase your tickets to the show at home and then just skip the line all together when you get to the theater.  I am quite excited to use this new technology from Fandango and looking forward to save some time waiting in line the next time I am at the movies.

With the announcement that Visa is going to team up with DeviceFidelity to deliver NFC payments via microSD cards there is news that Visa will have some competition from First Data and Tyfone.  First Data and Tyfone have announced their partnership to also bring the ability to deliver NFC payments via MicroSD cards to cell phones.

The heart of their system is Tyfone’s SideTap card made by NXP Semiconductors which can also function as an actual memory card in addition to a NFC payment device.  However, while Tyfone’s SideTap card can function as memory card as well it is expected to cost the same as a regular memory card of the same capacity.

Using a microSD card instead of a phone with built in NFC technology will also reduce the need for carries or phone manufacturers to be involved which will also help lower the costs.  While the complete details of the partnership are not known at this time the two companies are promising that the technology will hit the market in the second half of 2010.

For consumers that will need to use this NFC payment technology this sounds very encouraging as First Data and Tyfone look to keep the costs down while providing consumers with this needed technology.  By combining forces First Data and Tyfone will be able to pass the savings they create when implementing this NFC capabilities onto the consumers which is always a welcomed case.

As if we did not need another reason to get excited about the new upcoming Windows 7 phone Netflix and Microsoft made an announcement that the new Windows 7 phone will have a Netflix app that comes equipped with the Watch Instantly Technology.

While most smart phones have some sort of Netflix app those apps only allow you to manage your account and make changes to your queue.  With the new Windows 7 phone you will be able to watch movies instantly from Netflix on your new Windows 7 mobile device.

This announcement makes a lot of sense considering that that Netflix utilizes Microsoft’s Silverlight technology to stream movies instantly over the web.  It would be perfect for Netflix to join with Microsoft and their Windows 7 phone to bring you the same technology and allow you to view movies instantly on your mobile device.

As an avid movie watcher and huge Netflix fan this has me even more excited for the upcoming launch of the Windows 7 phone.  There will be a lot of great technologies that are exclusive to the Windows 7 device and the Netflix app is just another one to add to the ever growing list.  I will certainly be eagerly awaiting this new device.

Microsoft kicked off the MIX 2010 with a keynote speech that surely got the attention of programmers for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 device.  In their keynote Microsoft revealed many features that will be at the disposal of programmers looking to dive into the Windows Phone 7 Series platform.  Some of these features include:

• Accelerometer support
• Microsoft Location Service to provide developers with a single point of reference to acquire location information
• Microsoft Notification Service for pushing information to the phone, regardless of whether or not an application is running
• Hardware-accelerated video with digital rights management (DRM)
• Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming for the industry’s highest quality content viewing experience
• Multitouch
• Camera and microphone support

To assist developers and get them started quickly Microsoft is offering a suite of free developer tools which include Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone 7 Series, a free add-in to use with Visual Studio 2010 RC, XNA Game Studio 4.0, Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator for application testing, and a version of Expression Blend for Windows Phone.

If you think the app store is going to be a waste of time Microsoft already has a list of big name clients on board to release apps for the new Windows Phone 7 device.  These companies include Associated Press, NAMCO, EA Mobile, Pandora, Sling, Foursquare and Weatherbug to name a few.

PureMobile plans to carry unlocked cell phones built on the Windows Phone 7 Series platform.