Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

What you see here is the first smartphone from Cingular the new AT&T. It is the SMT5700, a full QWERTY, Windows Mobile 5 smartphone. Rumored specs include a 2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, Bluetooth and EDGE transfer speeds. While we said it would be Windows Mobile 5 by the time this sucker comes out it may just be Windows Mobile 6 Standard—but then again AT&T may have changed their name as well.

Read [FCC] Via [Engadget Mobile]

Rounding out HTC’s new trio of Smart Devicesis the HTC P3350 (others: Vox, Advantage) .  The P3350 is the most basic of the trio with no QWERTY keyboard.  The device does however have a touchscreen, and an 8-way trackball and scroll wheel for easy navigation.  It also has microSD, stereo Bluetooth, EDGE, and should make quite a nice portable media player.

The P3350 should make its way into the US of A sometime this year under T-Mobile or AT&T.  Pricing has not yet been announced.

Read [Telecompaper] Via [CrunchGear]

When Microsoft announced that they were going to have a separate DRM encryption for Zune than PlaysForSure last year, we figured that meant the end PlaysForSure.  Actually, they still rolling out new DRM systems based on PFS - probably an attempt for the PFS folks to keep their jobs.  The new DRM, called PlayReady, brings your typical PlaysForSure to cellphones and smartphones.  PlayReady will be provided to network providers like Verizon and Cingular (AT&T) to support their music stores.  Will regular PlaysForSure songs work on your mobile with this new system?  We have no idea at this point, but we’re expecting to hear more as the week progresses at 3GSM.

Read [Ars Technica] Via [Gizmodo]

The CDMA version of Motorola’s KRZR K1m has been out for Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Alltel, and U.S. Cellular for quite a while now leaving you GSM subscribers in the dark.  Your wait is over, because Cingular (err AT&T Wireless) is now shipping the KRZR.  The phone comes in blue and sports a 2 megapixel camera, speakerphone, and a digital audio player.  Unlike its CDMA cousin, you shouldn’t expect a lightening fast data connection since it will max out at EDGE.  If you’re not planning on downloading obscene amounts of content on the slim-phone, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Pick up Cingular’s MOTO KRZR K1 for just $249 with a 2 year contract, or $399 for just the phone.  Plus, right now they’re have a few discounts to tack on so it will come down to just $99 if you’re a new customer.

Product Page [Cingular] Via [Crave]

Though Apple and Cingular seem happier than ever to work together for the iPhone, Cingular was not Apple’s first choice. Verizon was the first picked but could not agree on a deal that worked well with both companies. Talks began as far back as 2 years ago, but Apple’s demands were quite steep. They gave us an idea between the Apple / Verizon agreement: Apple wanted control over distribution that would limit iPhone sales to Apple and Verizon stores, a percentage of monthly service fees, and even some control over the service/support aspect for iPhone customers.

Cingular, on the other hand, does not quite see the deal in this way, so perhaps Apple changed some of the conditions while working with Cingular. “I don’t want to leave the impression that these (iPhone) customers are not ours. They are.” says Cingular spokesman, Mark Siegel. Mark also clarified that Cingular would field all calls related to wireless service. Whether customers will be happy with the Cingular / Apple relationship has yet to be seen, guess we’ll have to wait until June to find out.

Read [USAToday] Via [Engadget]

Isn’t it great when internal company memos leak to the public?  This time it’s from Cingular, and even better...it’s about the iPhone.  From the memo, we learn that the iPhone will not be branded under the Cingular Music name, and will likely be marketed as a separate entity.  It’s a fairly good read, so we won’t spoil any more details.  Check it out for yourself, and don’t worry, there’s more after the break.

Read [Engadget Mobile]

Specs for the Blackberry 8800 leaked a while back and include the following: GSM/GPRS, EDGE, WiFi, 320x240 pixel screen, Bluetooth 2.0, and the other features you’ve come to love in your BB, such as QWERTY keyboard and push email (Blackberry-thumb not included).  Well, now that we’re a little closer to the release of this model, more details are sliding out.  First and foremost, the unit will be launching on Cingular (er… AT&T wireless), will not have a camera, and unfortunately will NOT have WiFi built-in as previously reported.  The 8800 is scheduled for mid-February, so look out for it around <3 day.

Details have also been revealed about the 9xxx model, which is headed for Cingular as well.  The 9xxx will have Cingular’s HSDPA built-in for high-speed 3G-style Internet access, a microSD slot, new processor, and brand new user interface.  Look out for more info on the 9xxx before it is released in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Read [Boy Genius Report]

Steven Colbert is always around to shed some light on confusing situations.  In yesterday’s episode, he explained the SBC / AT&T / Cingular dealio since it’s quite a jumble of crap.

Via [Digg]

The Motorola KRZR has been out for some time on Verizon, recently launched on Sprint, and is now set to hit Cingular.  The only real difference between the Cingular flavor and the others is that it packs EDGE instead of the faster EVDO.  You know what that means, right?  That means you shouldn’t expect too much out of the high-speed connectivity in the device.  The Moto KRZR for Cingular is available today for just $200 after contract and rebates.

Product Page [Cingular] Via [Engadget Mobile]

Rumors of the iPhone have been in the news for years, and recently the volume of rumors and speculation hit such an all time high that I was almost going crazy reading iPhone story after iPhone story. I’ll have to put up with it for a while longer, as Apple announced the iPhone at Macworld.

The iPhone is basically three devices crammed into one. An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator.

It features a 3.5-inch touch-screen, width of 11.6mm (that’s almost as thin as Type III PCMCIA), 2MP camera, proximity sensor, accelerometer, ambient light sensors, Quad-band GSM/EDGE + WiFi + Bluetooth 2.0 and a battery life of 16 hours for audio and 5 hours for actual phone use.

Release date is set at June 2007 for USA, 4th quarter of 2007 in Europe, and 2008 in Asia. It will be retailing at $599 for the 8GB model and $499 for the 4GB model and will be carried by Cingular.

Product [Apple, Inc]