In an announcement to their premier customers Sprint released an account alert asking their customers to “visit us tomorrow for an exciting announcement about a groundbreaking new device.”  No other details were provided but it is rumored that that this “groundbreaking new device” is the long rumored WiMAX smarphone.  This new WiMAX smartphone known as the HTC Supersonic comes equipped with a 4.3 inch screen and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. 

Releasing a 4G device would certainly fit the “groundbreaking” category and there have already been plans to unveil the phone at CTIA.  There was a web chat transcript that was found on the Sprint Community that seems to corroborate.  In this web chat an interested consumer asks customer support if a new Android device is going to hit the market soon.  The customer support rep does in fact confirm that a new smartphone device is going to be available very soon.   

The announcement of this new phone is a welcome sight to any consumers who were waiting for a new Android phone to hit the market.  This new HTC Supersonic is supposedly going to be one of the most high powered phones on the market today.  The 4.3 inch screen will make surfing the web and browsing through contacts and music a breeze.  Also, this new mobile device is going to be part of the Android 2.1 OS which is supposed to be much more powerful than the original Android OS. 

 I know that I am quite excited to see what this potentially new unlocked cell phone is actually going to be and what this new announcement is all about.  If it is in fact going to be an  announcement about the new HTC Supersonic than you can expect Sprint CEO Dan Hesse to talk about this in his keynote speech on Wednesday at CTIA.

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.

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!

American Airlines has announced today that they will now accept mobile ticketing at another 19 airports.  This now brings the total to 27 airports around the country that will accept boarding passes that are displayed on your mobile device.  It will work on mobile phones like the Sony Ericsson Aspen as well as Pads and will display a two-dimensional barcode.  Now, you will not have to worry about printing out a boarding pass or getting one at the airport.  This may also help you get to the security area a little bit quicker.

It is very easy to use in that you merely choose the option to have an e-mail correctly to your phone, like the Nokia 5300 unlocked cell phone or PDA and American Airlines will send the boarding pass to your e-mail and then you can get it right off of your mobile device.  The new airports that were announced include Albuquerque, Charlotte, Cleveland, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Jacksonville, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington, Little Rock and Phoenix.

These are, in addition to the first ones that include Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Minneapolis.  You can visit the American airline's website to get further details about how the process works.  This is just one more application that will make travelers lives a lot easier.  Now, you will not have to worry about whether or not you printed out your boarding pass before you get to the airport, as you will just simply need to show your mobile device and the barcode.  Now all you will have to worry about is whether or not your luggage will get lost on the way to your destination.

The NFL has just signed an agreement with Verizon wireless for a four year deal that will bring NFL Mobile to Verizon users.  This comes after Sprint decided that the price to carry the NFL sponsorship did not seem to be cost effective.  It should be online, right before the NFL draft that will be happening in April.  In conjunction with the deal, Verizon wireless will become the official NFL wireless provider.  This new app will enable users to keep track of their favorite teams no matter where they are especially on their BlackBerry Curve 8520 unlocked cell phone device.

One of the favorites is going to be the NFL RedZone channel that will give you a look at all of the key plays and touchdowns from the Sunday games.  You will be able to watch live video from the Friday night and Thursday night football games from NBC.  You also get the NFL network channel that operates 365 days and 24 hours per day to get all of your football news and scores.  You also be able to get game highlights, as well as being able to check out some of the NFL films.  You will have live broadcasts on the radio for every game including the playoffs.  For all of you fantasy football enthusiasts, you will have access to unlimited information as well as news and player statistics.

No NFL program would be complete without being able to get signature ring tones, graphics and getting NFL alerts that you have customized.  You can kick off this new program for Verizon by taking advantage of it for the upcoming draft.  You will not miss any of the exciting news of the draft because the program will give you a live feed of the draft as it happens right on your BlackBerry Storm 2 or other unlocked cell phone.  It will also have tons of news; lots of blogs that will let you keep track of everyone that is picked moment by moment.  No pricing has been released yet, but it should be available very soon.

Windows Phone 7 Series Announced by Microsoft at the Mobile World Congress meeting this week. It is suspected that the Windows Phone 7 Series will bring more consistency and synergy to the mobile phone environment.

The new Windows phone will have Zune integrated so those who love music can enjoy their favorite tunes. This single mobile phone is claimed to do about anything that you like. With the latest Windows 7 you can find everything you want faster and it easier to keep in touch with your friends and loved ones.

Windows Phone 7 Series enables you to listen to all of your music and view your videos with just one click. You can skip the wires, sync over Wi-Fi.

You have the latest updates in one place. Good news for gamers, X-Box just went Mobile.

Windows Operating System (OS) review

The latest Windows 7 Series has the real-time updates option. The system will update randomly so that your Windows is never outdated.

Windows Contact

The new OS has great contact options with access to photos, music, and games. You can also post your status one time or update them all at once. Most of the recent contacts are at your beck-n-call.
There is also live friend updates available in Windows 7 Series. You can update the friends from the social media sites such as Window Live or Facebook. It is easier to find people that you are looking for quickly as well. In summary, it is easier than ever to stay in contact with your friends online.

You can view photos from your computer, phone, or from your web organized center all in one place. With a 64-Bit OS Bet’s you can share immediately with your favorite online people or social networks. Finally, all of your favorite tunes and videos can be viewed from your cell phone, the web, or radio.

There are some very interesting numbers coming in from Canalys that shows us some info about the sales of touch screen smart phones. This reports shows that over 50% of the smartphones sold around the world have touchscreen features. It is no real surprise that Apple iPhone 3GS unlocked remains the leader, even though they really only have two mobile units. But what is interesting is that Nokia is not that far behind them. This is most certainly putting some pressure on Apple to keep on top of their game. The other companies such as HTC and Samsung still have quite a ways to go to catch up. This should indicate that we will see more touchscreen updates and releases this year. We should also see Samsung increase its market share since they did much better in 2009. The big news is looking at Nokia N900 cell phone and their percentage of increase over their shipments of 2008. We can expect Nokia to make a major presence in the market in the coming months. Does this mean that they will over take Apple? It is hard to say, but 2010 should be a very interesting year for all of the companies.

When we take a look at the OS systems for the smartphones, Symbian is still in the lead, but they did not experience much growth. Apple and Google could both be real contenders on overthrowing Symbian over the next few years. The amazing success of Google Android OS could see them overtaking Microsoft very soon. It must be discouraging for Microsoft to see their market share go done. Hopefully some of their new releases will be exciting enough for them to stay in the game.

It will be interesting to take a look at some of these numbers at the end of this year. We may see some upsets and some very surprising statistics. At the very least, the number of touchscreen phones should go well over 60% of the number of mobile devices sold. This will surely be a great year for the mobile phone industry.