HTC announces a trio of smartphones
Taiwan-based HTC -- the name behind such popular handsets as the Cingular 8125 and the T-Mobile MDA and SDA -- just announced a slate of new smartphones set to launch in Europe before the end of the year. First on the list is the HTC S620, a slim Windows Mobile 5.0 handset with a full QWERTY keypad, push e-mail, quad-band GSM voice and EDGE data capabilities, Bluetooth, built-in Wi-Fi, and a touch-sensitive navigation bar. Next up is the P3600, a successor to the HTC Prophet and Magician with on-board Windows Mobile 5.0, speedy UMTS and HSDPA data support, a 2-megapixel camera and a media player. Finally comes the compact and relatively modest HTC S310, and candy-bar style phone with Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone edition and quad-band GSM data capabilities. Look for the HTC S620 to arrive abroad in October, while the P3600 and S310 should hit stores in September. - Ben Patterson (Source: HTC)
Clear Channel Radio brings the airwaves to your phone
Can't get enough of the Morning Zoo? Now you can get your fix, courtesy of Clear Channel Radio's Z100 Mobile, a new service centered around the ever-popular -- and ever-rowdy -- New York-based Z100 FM. For about $3 a month, Cingular subscribers with phones such as the Motorola RAZR V3, the ROKR E1 and the SLVR V7 can choose from Z100 FM's on-demand celebrity interviews, listen to favorite comedy bits, transmit song requests via SMS (you'll receive an alert before your tunes go on the air), and get up-to-the-minute traffic reports. Shell out an extra dollar and you'll get the actual live feed of Z100 streamed onto your handset. Clear Channel also expects to have similar programs from their other 100 stations by the end of the year. - Jennifer Hooker (Source: Clear Channel Radio)
Survey: Miami is the chattiest U.S. city
Can't stand the incessant flow of chattering cell users? Stay out of Miami. That's according to a recent survey conducted by Verizon Wireless. The survey found that out of the 50 most populated cities in the U.S., Miami dials and receives the most cell phone calls, averaging about 9 to 10 per day (so much for that quiet, relaxing afternoon on the beach). Next on the list were Los Angeles, Detroit, El Paso, and Las Vegas respectively, averaging more than 235 calls a month. New York ranked in at a distant 11th, and even further behind were the relatively subdued cities of Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, which didn't even crack the top 20. - Jennifer Hooker (Source: Verizon Wireless)
Related link: Top-rated Verizon Wireless phones
Sprint announces voice recognition service
The days of tedious typing on tiny handset keypads just might be numbered, courtesy of the new MobileVoiceControl service. Available now on selected Sprint and Nextel smartphones (such as the Palm Treo 700p) and slated to arrive on standard handsets in the coming months, the $6-a-month voice recognition service lets you speak into the receiver (just be sure to enunciate and keep it brief) -- in about a minute or so, you'll see up to 20 words appear on the screen. The service applies to 15 functions on your phone, including texting, e-mails, calendar entries, and Google searches. - Jennifer Hooker (Source: MobileVoiceControl)
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