The odds that the Samsung Galaxy S will soon find a home in the US have skyrocketed recently with the FCC awarding certification for the newest smartphone from Samsung.  The Galaxy S is set to support the AT&T friendly 3G bands and would represent a huge shot in the arm to AT&T’s Android offerings which is currently limited to the Motorola BACKFLIP.  While it is not 100% certain that the Galaxy S is headed for AT&T this is what many mobile device experts are forecasting for this new phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S is supposed to be one of the best Android devices when it finally hits the US market.  The fact that it is more than likely coming to the AT&T network will be welcomed news for all of the AT&T customers who have been patiently waiting for some other Android devices to hit the market.  Since AT&T currently only carries one Android device at the moment the Galaxy S is sure to be a huge hit when it finally arrives in the US.

The Samsung Galaxy S is set to come with the Android 2.1 OS and be one of the most popular devices on the market.  This announcement that the FCC has awarded the Galaxy S certification means that this device is that much closer to being released in the US market.  I know that I am personally excited to see what all of the buzz has been about regarding the Galaxy S.  Being a huge fan of some of the other Android phones I am sure that I will not be disappointed when I am finally able to get my hands on one of these Galaxy S devices from Motorola.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, HTC CFO Cheng Hui-ming was quoted as saying that HTC is currently exploring options to possibly create their own smartphone OS.  Cheng stated that HTC has no plans to abandon support for Microsoft’s Windows Phone and Google’s Android while exploring these options to create their own OS.  One thing Cheng was not so eager to discuss was HTC’s rumored plans to acquire Palm, the popular mobile device company.

Many analysts believe that HTC having their own operating system would ultimately benefit the cellular company by giving them more control over their products.  However, to oversee its initial and continued development would require a significant amount of resources that HTC might not have at the current moment.

If HTC was to develop their own OS it would be interesting to see how it compares to Windows Phone OS and the Google Android OS.  HTC would certainly be venturing into a new territory in the mobile device market.  Ultimately I do agree with the analysts that this move of HTC creating their own OS would be a good idea.  By having so much more control over their devices HTC will be able to tailor their mobile phones to their customer’s wants and needs.  If they created their own operating system they would be able to add specific features to their phones that perhaps Windows or Google’s Android do not currently have.   Also, by creating their own OS HTC will be allowing for greater variety within the smartphone marketplace.  This is something that I am sure many consumers will appreciate as it will give them even more devices to choose from and select the phones that fit their current lifestyle the best.

With the recent announcements of the iPad and iPhone OS 4 it looks like Apple is set to announce what many people have been speculating for a while.  While recently answering some emails it appears that Steve Jobs has confirmed that the first generation iPhone will not be getting an upgrade to the iPhone OS 4.  It makes a little bit of sense considering that Apple’s subscriptions accounting model for the original iPhone only accounted for free upgrades for 24 months.

Even though Apple does have this 24 month upgrade policy in place it is just a matter of paperwork and could be easily corrected.  At the least Apple could allow for an iPod touch style paid upgrade since the first generation iPhone essentially uses the same hardware as the newer devices.  As much as I would like to see Apple offer this upgrade to the iPhone OS 4 it does not look like it is going to happen.

This is a real shame that Apple is not willing to allow their original customers to upgrade to the new operating system when it appears that it easily could allow it.  Essentially Apple is dead ending a $400 phone 3 years after it was released and forcing loyal customers to go out and purchase an updated iPhone if they wish to use all of the features that are associated with iPhone OS 4.

Of course this is all unofficial at this point but with each passing day it looks like this will be the case.  Hopefully you are not one of the unlucky few who have the first generation iPhone and are looking to use the iPhone OS 4.

As it was promised a few months back Verizon Wireless’ now exclusive NFL Mobile app is available for download in advance of the NFL Draft on April 22.  The app is currently available for 13 different smartphones and 3G feature phones including the Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris, BlackBerry Storm 2, LG enV Touch and more.  The app is free for the entire 2010 NFL season as long as customers download it before the postseason begins in early 2011.

The new NFL Mobile app will have a variety of features that include live streaming of Sunday Night Football on NBC and the Thursday Night Football games aired on the NFL Network.  The app for your unlocked cell phone will also offer preseason highlights from training camps including preseason games, a wide variety of stats, information, news and fantasy football data.  The app will also have live radio feeds from every regular season and playoff game.  It is also expected that later this year the popular NFL RedZone channel will come to the new mobile service which will allow customers to watch all of the NFL games whenever a team is in the red zone.

This new NFL Mobile app sounds like a football fan’s dream come true.

While there has been a recent Apple iPhone announcement about the upcoming iPhone OS 4 that is going to include multitasking there is still something for those Verizon faithful to get excited about.  It appears as if Verizon is set to launch some brand new devices that are sure to get many mobile phone fans excited.  Some websites are reporting screen shots of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and LG Fathom finally making their way into Verizon’s internal systems. 

While the BlackBerry Bold 9650 release has been widely publicized the Fathom VS750 has not.  This new global Windows Phone with a QWERTY slider, 3.2 inch WVGA display and 3.2 megapixel camera is sure to be a big hit among Verizon Wireless’ faithful.  If you add in the fact that Verizon released a teaser stating six new devices are hitting the market very soon then this all sounds like really exciting news.  With these two devices being seen in Verizon’s internal system we can probably assume that the wait for the other six devices will be short.

The announcement by Verizon Wireless that six more devices are set to hit the market came as a great surprise to many mobile device consumers.  It has been a while since Verizon has released several new phones so this announcement was probably a little bit overdue.  While there is considerable buzz about what these new phones will look like and what sorts of features they will include one thing is for sure and that is consumers will be able to get their hands on a BlackBerry Bold 9650 or LG Fathom in the very near future.  I personally can not wait to get a look at these two new devices and see what other goodies Verizon has in store.

Vonage has recently announced that a new version of their Vonage Mobile app will be coming to the Android platform.  This new version of the Vonage Mobile app will only be available to Android users on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks.  Vonage Mobile allows customers to make voice over IP calls using a W-Fi network which can significantly reduce the costs of making international calls.

When asked about the upcoming availability on Sprint and Verizon devices Vonage reps were unsure when those devices would be supported by the new app.  While the Vonage reps were unable to offer a timeline for those two networks they did mention that Vonage was looking to expand the product to more devices.  Reps would also not comment on the possibility of Verizon’s new deal with Skype being one of the reasons why this new Vonage app is not available on Verizon Wireless devices.  This new Vonage app is already available for iPhone OS devices which includes the iPod touch as well as BlackBerry devices. 

While Vonage may not be that great of an alternative to long distance carriers for your land lines this app certainly is great news for people that are looking to lower the costs of their international phone bills.  As one of the leading VoIP companies around Vonage can offer you great service at an affordable price.  Being able to use Vonage’s services over a Wi-Fi network on your mobile device is an excellent addition to any new smartphone.  With the increase in popularity of Android devices it makes sense that Vonage would focus on getting a new mobile app available for those devices.  With the success they have seen from their iPhone and BlackBerry apps it will be no surprise when the Vonage Mobile app becomes a huge success for Android users as well.

While many wireless carriers have tried the money back guarantee before as a way to encourage customers to walk-in and make the switch to their networks only to quickly abandon the program it appears as if Sprint is taking this idea to a whole new level.  Recently Sprint announced they will be starting a “Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Back” program that they currently do not have any intentions of ever axing.

This new money back program will enable customers to open up a new line of Sprint service for 30 days and if they are not satisfied with it they will get reimbursed for the device they purchased, activation fee, get the early termination fee waived, get a full refund for the service plan monthly recurring charge and get all associated taxes and Sprint surcharges associated with these charges waived.  That is certainly an impressive deal that is sure to entice a few customers to make the switch to Sprint.  Having the ability to essentially test a new phone on the Sprint network is a huge incentive to all mobile device customers.  Since Sprint will be refunding every possible penny you could have spent to join their network it will really be a no brainer for people who are shopping around for a new wireless network to go ahead and try out some of Sprint’s new phones.

With the impending release of their 4G network I am sure that many mobile device consumers will be lining up to get their hands on a new Sprint phone when their current contracts are up.  Having the chance to test drive a 4G for free with this money back guarantee will be too enticing for some people and I know I will certainly be giving Sprint a try when my contract ends.

The financial reports of wireless phone manufacturer RIM were announced today and it was pretty much good news across the board.  The company set a new record for quarterly Unlocked BlackBerry Phone activations which resulted in an increase of 4.9 million accounts which brings their current total to 41 million subscribers.  Also, annual revenue grew 35% to $15 billion versus the previous year.  The only bit of bad news was that RIM missed their quarterly revenue expectations of $4.31 billion by about $230 million.

Co-CEO Jim Balsillie was quoted as saying that RIM is “off to a great start in fiscal 2011 and expect strong shipments, revenue, subscriber and earnings growth in Q1."  I would have to agree with his assessments and am particularly impressed with all of the new BlackBerry Unlocked Phone customers they were able to bring on board.  With all of these new customer acquisitions it is easy to see why and how annual revenue grew 35%.  While the fact that RIM did miss their current quarterly goals is a bit worrisome the overall big picture appears to be much more encouraging than this current quarter.

Perhaps RIM’s success is a sign that the economy is finally getting back on its feet as more and more consumers are willing to spend money on upgraded their mobile devices to a BlackBerry smartphone.  It will be interesting to see if RIM reaches or exceeds their second quarter goals and continues with their upward trend for the entire year to match last year’s growth.  It can also be expected to hear some more news about these numbers at next month’s all BlackBerry all the time WES show in Orlando, FL.

One of the most common complaints among iPhone users is the effectiveness of the AT&T wireless network. Many users in the larger cities have reported issues connecting to the AT&T network and have thus had issues using their iPhones from time to time. While these complaints are relatively few and far between they certainly do exist. If you are one of the iPhone customers who have experienced such issues then you should be pleased to hear the news that AT&T and Apple have been working together since late 2009 trying to come up with ways for the iPhone Unlocked Phone to put less strain on the company’s wireless network.

AT&T sent some wireless network experts to Apple in 2009 to try and find ways to reduce the amount of strain that the iPhone causes for the AT&T network. The companies managed to work together and Apple invented new technologies that changed the way the iPhone connects with AT&T’s cell towers. Based on these meetings the iPhone now puts less stress on the network when checking for text messages and when it searches the area for towers to connect to. AT&T has also taken measures to improve their network as well. AT&T continues to tweak their cell tower configurations and adding cell sites as a part of a 100 day improvement plan.
As an avid Unlocked iPhone user I can attest to just how annoying connectivity issues can be when using your iPhone in some of the major metropolitan areas. It makes me very happy as a consumer to know that AT&T and Apple are taking the necessary steps to alleviate any problems their customers may be having with their products and putting for all of the effort to produce a more enjoy service.

In a report published by the Wall Street Journal it appears as if mobile network provider Verizon Wireless is definitely going to be getting the iPhone Unlocked Phone. Apple is expected to begin producing a new iPhone that could allow US phone carriers other than AT&T to sell the mobile device. The new iPhone would work on a wireless network called CDMA which is used by Verizon Wireless as well as Sprint.

With Apple set to develop a new version of the iPhone that is compatible with this CDMA technology it appears that their exclusive arrangement with AT&T appears to be coming to an end. While it looks as if Apple is set to release the iPhone on the Verizon network they are also expected to release an updated version for the AT&T network this June. This new AT&T model is expected to be thinner and have a faster processor.
AT&T’s exclusive deal with Apple has been a crucial element in the carrier’s emergence as the US leader in the smartphone market. For several quarters AT&T has seen most of their growth come from the Unlocked iPhone both in forms of new customers and existing customers switching over to the iPhone. These smartphone customers are important to AT&T as these users generally pay higher monthly bills for the various data and text messaging plans that are required for the iPhone.
With Apple set to strike a deal to develop iPhones that are compatible with the Verizon network AT&T is looking to take a big hit in the smartphone market. More consumers will have other network options if they want to purchase the iPhone and will not be forced to sign a contract with AT&T. For many iPhone users this will be welcomed news as lots of iPhone users on the AT&T network have experienced connectivity issues in some of the country’s larger markets.