Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc announced, we go hands-on (update: video!)[Engadget.com]

The cat is out of the bag, Sony! We just walked into Sony's CES press conference and look at what we found hanging around in the back? It's Sony's Xperia Arc, and it is one slim smartphone. No, like it is really thin and it has a concave back, which reminds us a lot of the Nexus S. According to the placard it has a "Reality Display" with a Mobile BRAVIA Engine. We're not sure what those fancy words mean, but the display (we're assuming it is 4.2 inches) is definitely extremely bright and crisp -- like AMOLED bright and crisp. We don't know the exact measurements of the handset, but it looks just as thin as the iPhone... if not thinner. Other than that we know it has an mini-HDMI port and runs Android 2.3 (confirmed on the device itself!). It also has a Sony Exmor R camera. We should be learning much more about this thing as soon as it becomes "official," but until then hit the break for some hands-on shots.

Sony Xperia Arc hands-on

Update: Ah, finally some confirmed specs. The Arc does in fact have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.2-inch display, 8.3 megapixel camera, and measures just 8.7mm thick. Hit the break for the full PR and specs. 

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Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T eyes-on (Update: video)[Engadget.com]

We were checking out the Samsung booth at the Digital Experience event at CES when, lo and behold, we stumbled upon the Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T in all its gigantic 4.5-inch Super Amoled Plus display glory. There was only one catch: we weren't permitted to touch it, nor take shots of the back of the phone. So we compiled a few pictures of the front and sides of the 9 mm thin device below, including a size comparison with the iPhone 4.

Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T eyes-on

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Motorola Droid Bionic hands-on (Engadget.com)

If this is the direction high-power smartphones are going, we like what we're seeing. Though the software's still a bit raw (there's no Android Market, for example), the Droid Bionics on display here at Motorola's CES event this evening look and feel pretty blazingly fast. A spokesman we chatted with said that Motorola is actually doing some manner of software optimization (and yes, it'll launch with 2.2) to take advantage of the two cores out of the box, so it's a promising start -- as Jha says, it's "2GHz of processing power." We hope that's true in practice!

Physically, the phone feels smooth in the same way a Droid 2 does, though a bit lighter -- good news considering the LTE hardware and big display, but not entirely surprising when you take into account the lack of a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The patterned battery cover looks textured, but it's actually quite smooth with a slight soft touch treatment. The screen looks great -- in particular, the viewing angle looked superb, though all phone displays have a tendency to look a little better in this sexy lighting since they can't wash out as easily. Follow the break for video!

Motorola Droid Bionic hands-on

Motorola Atrix 4G, HD multimedia dock, and laptop dock hands-on

Earlier today, we got a complete demo and some seat time with the Motorola Atrix 4G for AT&T at Motorola's CES event, including its HD multimedia dock and laptop dock. The phone looks similar to theSamsung Vibrant, but with a black screen bezel and a tastefully patterned matte back cover. Build quality is very good, as we'd expect from a Motorola device. The QHD (960 x 540) display is gorgeous and the phone feels ultra snappy, thanks to the dual-core processor running Froyo. In fact, despite still running preliminary firmware, we recorded a blazing 2,616 score on the Quadrant test. The power button at the top back of the Atrix 4G also serves as a fingerprint reader, and there's a dual-LED flash flanking the 5 megapixel camera. Check out the gallery below and read on for the details -- and the complete demo on video -- after the break.

Motorola Atrix 4G, HD multimedia dock, and laptop dock hands-on

The HD multimedia dock features a power connector, three USB ports, and an HDMI output, along with an infrared remote. It turns the Atrix 4G into both a multimedia center, and at desktop PC when connected to a TV / monitor and keyboard / mouse. The laptop dock features a 11.6-inch display, two USB ports, a very nice chiclet keyboard, and a comfortably-sized trackpad with two-finger scrolling. It's super thin and light, and made of a lovely mix of aluminum and plastic.The Atrix 4G docks on the back left edge of the device, behind the display.

But the most impressive part of the entire package is the software and user experience that ties it all together. The Webtop app essentially turns the Atrix 4G into a full blown PC, complete with windowed UI, an Mac OS X-like application dock, a full version of Firefox with Flash 10.1 support, a file manager, and Citrix remote desktop support (shown connected to a PC running Windows XP full screen). Better yet, the state of the Webtop app is maintained between sessions, allowing the Atrix 4G to be undocked at any time without missing a beat. It's the first solid alternative to our Continuous Client proposal. We plan to bring you more coverage as soon as possible, but in the meantime watch the video above.

I know I know I abandoned the Token Black GEEK blog but Im back

Im back to blogging here for 2011 First up my 2011 CES coverage

T-Mobile’s ’4G’ network now available in over 75 cities

T-Mobile let us know that they have some pretty big news, just a day after Sprint finally blanketed New York City with 4G coverage. As of tonight, T-Mobile has over 75 live HSPA+ markets which covers an estimated 200 million people. T-Mobile insists on calling it 4G even though it’s not technically a 4G network, but with speeds up to 21Mbps (and T-Mobile looking to bump that to 42Mbps in 2011 and even 84 and 168Mbps after that), we’re not sure it really matters, especially to consumers. Neville Ray, CTO for T-Mobile said:

The footprint of our 4G service is not something that competitors are going to match anytime soon, and starting today, we will begin marketing our network advantage with TV commercials advertising ‘America’s Largest 4G Network’ from T-Mobile.

Chicago, IL, Colorado Springs, CO, Ft. Wayne, IN, Louisville, KY, and Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, NC have just be lit up with “4G” for your web-browsing, file-downloading pleasure. Full press release is after the break!

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Nov. 2, 2010 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the expansion of its 4G mobile broadband network to six additional metro areas, and introduced two new products designed to tap into its 4G service. Tomorrow marks the national retail availability of the T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G and T-Mobile’s first 4G netbook, the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G. With typical download speeds that are on par with or faster than competing 4G technologies, and service availability in 75 metropolitan markets throughout the United States, the T-Mobile network now offers a super-fast, next generation mobile broadband experience to more people than any other wireless network in the country.

“4G is about performance and today T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network is delivering 4G speeds that match and often beat WiMAX and are comparable to what early LTE will deliver. Our 4G network is capable of theoretical speeds up to 21Mbps and we have seen average download speeds approaching 5 Mbps on our myTouch 4G phone in some cities with peak speeds of nearly 12 Mbps.  Further, independent reviewers have seen average download speeds on our webConnect Rocket between 5 and 8 Mbps with peak speeds up to 8-10Mbps,” said Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA. “The footprint of our 4G service is not something that competitors are going to match anytime soon, and starting today, we will begin marketing our network advantage with TV commercials advertising ‘America’s Largest 4G Network’ from T-Mobile.”

The “America’s Largest 4G Network” message will be communicated in an iconic, arresting and memorable way through national TV and digital advertisements that will begin airing today on major TV networks and cable TV stations, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and TNT, and appearing on websites, including AOL, MSN, Amazon.com and easily viewable on T-Mobile’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/tmobile.

T-Mobile expanded the availability of its 4G network to six additional metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; and Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, N.C. T-Mobile customers with 4G devices in 75 metropolitan areas can now enjoy faster Web browsing, uninterrupted video streaming and quicker downloads at no additional cost.

“Consumers do not understand the technical alphabet soup of technologies involved in 4G, but for our purposes we define WiMAX, LTE and HSPA+ as 4G technologies,” said Chris Nicoll, distinguished research fellow, Yankee Group. “HSPA+ is evolving a far more ambitious and long-term road map than was originally envisioned.  T-Mobile is using an upgrade to HSPA+ to deliver faster 4G speeds today and is quickly bringing a number of HSPA+ devices to market that greatly enhance the mobile data experience for its customers.”

In addition to the network expansion, T-Mobile continues to broaden its lineup of products that tap into its 4G network. Available today is the stylish and powerful T-Mobile myTouch 4G smartphone. Designed to access faster speeds on T-Mobile’s 4G network, the myTouch 4G also includes a front-facing camera for Video Chat through Yahoo! Messenger or QIK, HD Camcorder with Screen Share by Twonky™, 5-megapixel camera with flash, Android 2.2, and additional exclusive T-Mobile features such as Genius Button™, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance Communications, myModes and Faves Gallery™. The myTouch 4G is appearing in a national ad campaign beginning today and will be the featured device at T-Mobile retail stores nationwide this holiday season.

Also available today is the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 4G, T-Mobile’s first netbook to feature built-in access to T-Mobile’s 4G mobile broadband network. It also includes Windows 7 Starter Edition — Microsoft Corp.’s latest operating system — and a fast processor for easy Web surfing, communication, photo sharing and multimedia playback in one small, ultraportable device.

“With an upgrade path that continues to provide room for considerable speed enhancements,     T-Mobile’s 4G network is purpose-built for continued growth. We are now on pace to increase our 4G footprint — reaching 200 million people by the end of this year — with plans to offer 42Mbps theoretical speeds in 2011,” added Ray. “As customer demand for wireless data increases, T-Mobile is well-positioned to compete based on the speed, breadth and evolution path of our mobile broadband service.”

Additional 4G products already available from T-Mobile and designed to take advantage of the faster 4G service include the T-Mobile webConnect® Rocket™ 2.0 laptop stick and the high-powered T-Mobile G2™ with Google™ smartphone. T-Mobile’s 4G smartphones, the myTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2, are powered by the Android 2.2 operating system, which provides tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing capabilities. Beginning this holiday season, T-Mobile will offer a Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing service plan that allows customers to use their smartphone as wireless modem for connecting laptops and other devices to the Internet through the T-Mobile mobile broadband network. Customers can add the Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing plan to their Web – Unlimited $30/monthly plan for an additional $14.99/month.

Product Availability

T-Mobile plans to offer a selection of affordable data plans for both smartphones and broadband products, with smartphone data plans starting as low as $10/month. T-Mobile customers do not pay a premium for access to its 4G network. For more information on T-Mobile products, services, pricing and promotions, visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

The myTouch 4G is available nationwide tomorrow through T-Mobile retail stores, online at http://www.t-mobile.com, at select third-party dealers, and at leading national retailers including Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club and Target. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t-mobile.com for more information about the myTouch family of smartphones including the myTouch 4G.

The Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G is available tomorrow at http://www.t-mobile.com.

About T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG. By the end of the second quarter of 2010, approximately 131 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.6 million by T-Mobile USA — all via the world’s most widely-used digital wireless standards. T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.de/investor-relations.

Google, Android, and Android Market are a trademark of Google Inc. Yahoo! and Yahoo! Messenger is the trademark and/or registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Creative Ziio 7- and 10-inch Android tablets

Somewhere in the world, Creative just announced a pair of 7-inch (480 x 800) and 10-inch (1024 x 768) Ziio tablets running the Android 2.1 OS. Both feature a ZiiLabs ZMS-08 processor, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, WiFi 802.11b/g, and microSD expansion. They're slated to ship in December with the 7-incher costing €229 (8GB) or €259 (16GB) and the 10-incher demanding €289 (8GB) or €319 (16GB). And somewhere, somebody must be jonesin' for these resistive touchscreen tablets (China?), just not here.