One of the more exciting booths at the recent CTIA Wireless convention in Las Vegas was the booth set up by AT&T.  AT&T took advantage of the CTIA Wireless convention to showcase the new U-Verse mobile service and the corresponding app.  The app that is set for release on the Apple iPhone will allow customers to watch content from their U-Verse DVR home setup directly on their mobile device.  Customers will also be able to browse television schedules and set recordings for their home DVR.  Then those videos can then be streamed to either a mobile phone or a connected laptop.

AT&T has long allowed customers to remotely program their DVR but not the carrier is showcasing the streaming capabilities of the U-Verse Mobile service.  While pricing and specific availability for the new U-Verse app have not been released AT&T has made it clear that the app will not be exclusive to the iPhone.  This service is expected to be released later this year and is sure to be a hit with all of AT&T’s U-Verse subscribers.

AT&T’s new U-Verse app is just another example of the fantastic advancements we are making with our mobile devices.  It should be pretty amazing to have the capabilities to record your favorite television shows or movies in your home and be able to take those programs with you wherever you go with your mobile device.  This can be the perfect app for those of us who are regularly on the go and do not have time to sit around and watch television.  We can just record the shows that we would like to see and watch them whenever we want wherever we want on our unlocked mobile devices.  This is one of the newest apps that I am really looking forward to its release.

When we heard about the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S we knew it was going to have some serious power but were just unsure about how much power this device would actually have.  After some mobile device testers got their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S it is becoming more and more clear just how powerful this phone actually is.  Thanks to its PowerVR SGX540 GPU the Galaxy S has the power to push 90 million triangles per second.  Compare that to the Snapdragon platform which manages a mere 22 million polygons and the iPhone 3GS’s 28 million from the earlier SGX535 you can easily see what kind of power the Galaxy S is actually packing.

Of course the number of polygons that you can push per second is not everything when it comes to graphical power it is certainly a giant part of the equation.  With the announcement of Galaxy S having such increased graphical power over its competitors this is sure to start a new war among mobile device companies.  It will be interesting to see where these mobile device companies take this new technology and how they expand on it and improve it.  

Cell phones are becoming remarkable gadgets these days and it appears the Samsung Galaxy S is just another link in the chain.  With its supposed superior graphics it will be interesting to see how the Galaxy S is received in the market place and how the rest of the phone’s functions are viewed by consumers.  If Samsung took as much time enhancing other aspects of the phone as they did with the graphics then the Galaxy S is sure to be a huge hit amongst mobile phone consumers.

Sprint recently announced that the LG Rumor Touch will be available starting March 28th.  The cost of this new phone is set at $79.99 with a new two year contract and $50 mail in rebate.  The LG Touch is set to be one of the better cell phones on the market.  Specs for the Touch include a 3 inch WQVGA touchscreen, 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder, microSD card slot supporting up to 32GB as well as Google search and 3G data capabilities operating on the Sprint EVDO Rec. 0 network.

The LG Touch also offers access to Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, Sprint Music and Sprint Mobile Email with personal and corporate calendar features.  With the initial launch of the LG Touch on the 28th the phone is set to be released in a blue color.  Two additional colors red and purple are set to be released starting April 18th.
The LG Rumor Touch has been one of the highly anticipated  phones in recent months.  With its full list of features the LG Rumor Touch is set to be a classic phone for anyone looking to purchase a new device on a budget.  The 3 inch touchscreen and 2.0 megapixel camera are more than enough power for the casual user while the mircoSD card supporting up to 32GB is a nice addition for even the power users.  With that sort of memory capabilities you will certainly be able to take a lot of pictures and videos to store on your phone while carrying around all of your music with you wherever you go.  I am wondering if LG plans to release this phone in any other colors besides blue, red and purple after the second set of phones are released on April 28th?

For those eagerly awaiting the release of the Android 2.1 OS your wait might be over sooner than you think.  In a leaked statement it looks as if Sprint is set to roll out the Android 2.1 to the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment in April.  With all of the anticipation of the Nexus One joining the Sprint Android family of devices this has caused users of the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment to become even more intrigued about this Android 2.1 OS.  This new Android OS is sure to greatly enhance these two mobile devices and make them even better than what they currently are.

 In the leaked statement to Sprint employees it appears that Sprint is actively working on releasing the Android 2.1 platform to the Hero and Moment customers in the coming weeks.  Sprint realizes that consumers don’t only expect more from their wireless devices they demand more from them and are looking to be constantly connected.  With this realization Sprint is actively working towards releasing the Android 2.1 to their customers in the coming weeks.  More information can be expected in April.

 Also, Sprint would like to remind their customers that they are the only carrier to have the HTC Hero which picked up top honors as the Best Mobile Handset at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  Also, About.com readers have nominated the HTC Hero as their favorite smartphone for the 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards.

With the addition of the Android 2.1 OS these phones are sure to garner even more attention and praise.  When Sprint rolls out the new Android version customers are sure to be delighted with their mobile devices while waiting for the new products to hit the shelves that will come with even more power and productivity.

 Coming this spring Verizon Wireless consumers will have the chance to bill online content directly to their cell phone bills.  Verizon is set to utilize Danal’s BilltoMobile service that will allow mobile device users to charge any online content they download right to their Verizon bills.  A secure connection and integration between Verizon Wireless and Danal will provide features important to online consumers and merchants, including robust subscriber authentication and fraud protection, among others.

 The mobile payment service will feature a $25-per-month spending limit for these purchases, along with content and parental controls for individual accounts, giving account owners the ability to manage their BilltoMobile usage.  When available, customers with text messaging-enabled phones will be able to shop quickly, securely and conveniently for Verizon Wireless-approved content at online stores, including game sites, social networks and virtual worlds. Users will also be able to purchase subscriptions to popular online games. 

The BilltoMobile payment service is simple for consumers. To conduct a transaction, consumers click on the BilltoMobile button during checkout at a participating online Web site and then input their mobile numbers and mobile billing zip codes for subscriber authentication. A text message is then sent to consumers’ unlocked mobile phones with a one-time passcode. Once consumers input this passcode into the online checkout window, the transaction is completed. The entire process takes about 15 seconds, and there is no pre-registration or links to credit cards or bank accounts required. 

This sounds like a great addition to power unlocked cell phone users on the Verizon network.  The BilltoMobile program will offer consumers a safe and quick way to purchase products or online content directly from their mobile devices.  This is just another step in the direction of being able to use your mobile devices for much more things than just making phone calls and sending text messages.

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.

This phone is duly noted as being the first ever Android phone without Google search - instead it has Yahoo search! This a big factor for a lot of people out there because usually with an Android phone you don't have a choice in the matter. Its Google or nothing. Believe it or not, a lot of people would rather use Yahoo! While the Motorola Backflip is not one of the more high-end phones like the Apple iPhone or the Blackberry, it still holds some pretty awesome attributes that make it one of the most bought phones of 2010. This is their 4th release for the US market and the fifth universal.

First off, this phone has a clam shell design all in its own respect. It's not the usual clam shell design that most other phones have because the keyboard is almost always visible whereas with other designs the QWERTY keyboard is usually hidden away. Also, this phone has the touch panel on the back of the phone rather than the front of the display and utilizes the back with a keyboard as well. For all of you Social Networking freaks, the Motorola Backflip also supports the ever popular Twitter and Facebook accounts as well.

These are two of the top networks in the world, even overrunning that of Myspace. For those of us that are looking for a unique design, but also want something super-lightweight and a nice picture resolution, the Motorola Backflip offers a mere 133 grams and 320x480 pixels which are pretty awesome stats for a cell phone of this stature. This is a nice phone for basic usage, but it is also spectacular for gaming, watching movies, listening to music, and talking to your friends using the unique QWERTY design option of the Motorola Backflip. As with most QWERTY enabled phones, this one does take some getting used to, but in the end it will be as natural as the air you breath!

After a much anticipated wait Palm finally announced that their top two mobile phones will be coming to the AT&T network.  The Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be making their way to AT&T’s network in the “coming months.”  These are two of the best phones that Palm has to offer and is surely to excite all AT&T customers.

 The Pre Plus will be similarly equipped to its Verizon counterpart and will come with 16GB of storage, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1.  The Pixi will be very similar as well as it is expected to have 8GB of storage, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1.  Both devices are expected to support AT&T’s new address book service as a synergy sync option and will have free auto-conntect access to the carrier’s WiFi +20,000 hotspots.  These devices are also set to come in a variety of colors including a blue back plate in addition to the standard black and other swapable colors.

 Both of these devices appear to be pretty affordable for most consumers.  The Pre Plus is expected to be available for $149.99 and the Pixi Plus at a deep discount of $49.99 (with a $100 mail in rebate and two year contract.)  The official announcement of these two Palm phones being available on the AT&T network is expected to take place this week at the US’s largest wireless convention, CTIA.

Hopefully at the CTIA convention we will get a more concrete time frame for these mobile devices to be rolled out.  Right now they are set to be released in the “coming months.”  Here is to hoping that those “coming months” are much shorter than we think they will be.  It will also be interesting to see what kind of affect moving to the AT&T network will have on Palm.  I expect this will be a great business decision and dramatically increase their sales.

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.