Dialed In Podcast

In case you haven't noticed, touch-screen phones are red hot this season. In this episode of Dialed In, we run through the latest touch-screen phones, including the LG Delve and Samsung Eternity. We also dish on other new handsets including the BlackBerry Storm and the AT&T Quickfire.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Rumor of the week
LG Prada 2

News
Samsung Saga, Renown debut for Verizon Wireless
AT&T launches Samsung Eternity
Alltel launches the LG Swift and the Samsung Hue II
HTC Touch Diamond for Alltel
LG Incite is LG's first U.S. smartphone
BlackBerry Storm gets official pricing and release date
RIM Curve 8900 passes FCC
HTC Touch Pro rumored for Verizon

Reviews
Samsung Eternity
Samsung Delve
Technocel T10 Bluetooth headset
Mophie iPhone 3G Juice Pack
Technocel T6000 Bluetooth speakerphone
Nokia 2600

Upcoming reviews
Nokia 6650
Samsung SGH-A777
Samsung Renown
Samsung Gravity
AT&T Quickfire
LG Incite
Samsung Saga

Rumor of the Week
Samsung Eternity

News
Samsung unleashes another Boeing phone
Samsung Behold
More Samsungs from T-Mobile
T-Mobile halts Nokia 5610 sales
LG CP150--basic flip from AT&T
AT&T Quickfire now on sale
ClarityLife phone goes on sale
iPhone crowned most popular phone in the U.S.
Google starts fixing Android reboot bug
MetroPCS starts nationwide service
Nokia E63 announced
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 pricing and release date Aliph introduces accessories for the Jawbone

Reviews
Nokia 1680
Samsung Behold
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
HTC Fuze
Motorola H780 Bluetooth headset
LG VX5500

Upcoming reviews
Nokia 2600
Samsung Delve
Technocel T10 Bluetooth headset
Mophie iPhone 3G Juice Pack

News
RIM BlackBerry Bold officially on sale
Waiting for the BlackBerry Storm
Bang & Olufsen hangs up cell phone biz
Alltel delves into touch screen
LG VX5500 now on sale
Sony Ericsson C902
AT&T starts selling the Pantech Slate

Reviews
HTC Touch Pro
RIM BlackBerry Bold
Motorola Rapture VU30
Motorola Zine ZN5
Sony Ericsson C902
Pantech Slate
Motorola Pure H15 Bluetooth headset

T-Mobile G1

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

I'm a month-to-month T-Mobile customer with a Nokia 6133 that is on its lest leg. I want to get a phone with a full Internet browser and I'm deciding between the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1. I'd also like access for my Yahoo mail, but I don't need my work e-mail. Which do you recommend? Also, I don't own an iPod or use iTunes (I usually use Amazon to purchase music), so I'm concerned about moving to an all-iTunes environment.
- EJ

That's a a very good question, EJ, and the answer depends on your individual needs and desires. Though the iPhone is the better overall device (at least right now) a person in your situation should seriously consider the G1. Here is why.

I always tell people who are considering purchasing an iPhone 3G that there are three reasons to buy one. Forget the slick design and the flashy and user-friendly interface; I recommend buying the iPhone for its Web browser, its media player, and (to a somewhat lesser extent) its support for third-party applications. These three areas are where the iPhone performs very well, so I advise basing your decision on a comparison of those points. Sure, the design and interface are important, but I'd treat them and the e-mail integration as secondary motivators. And of course, I wouldn't base my decision on call quality alone, as the iPhone 3G still suffers in that area.

When boiled down to those three points, the G1 offers a compelling alternative to the iPhone. It also has a Web browser and media player and it supports third-party apps. While those apps are limited for now, more will come in the future. And as Bonnie Cha and Nicole Lee reported in their G1 review, the media player and browser offered satisfying performance. Sure, they may not be as good as on the iPhone, but they may be good enough for you. And here's another advantage for you: the G1's integration with the Amazon MP3 store means you wouldn't have to switch over to iTunes. And on a similar note, the G1 would enable you to stay with T-Mobile if you're happy with its service.

As we inch closer toward the holiday season, a wave of new cell phones is upon us, from messaging phones to touch-screen smartphones. This week, we plow through a pile of latest reviews and highlight recent from both the T-Mobile G1 and Sprint.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

News

Wal-Mart to sell T-Mobile G1 at lower price
Sprint releases availability dates for HTC Touch Pro
Sanyo Katana Eclipse X to get One Click
Virtual keypads set to grace Android phones
Sprint CEO says Android not good enough yet
Sprint to start prorating early termination fees

Reviews

Samsung Epi
Sony Ericsson W980
Motorola VU204
Motorola Active W450
Samsung SGH-A637
LG Lotus
Samsung Propel

Upcoming reviews

RIM BlackBerry Bold
HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)
Motorola Rapture VU30
Sony Ericsson C902

The first Google Android smartphone has invaded Earth, but is the T-Mobile G1 worth all the hype? We discuss its pros and cons. Plus, the BlackBerry Bold finally gets a release date and Motorola rolls out a $2,000 phone. Wait, what? All this and more on this week's Dialed In podcast.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Reviews
T-Mobile G1
Samsung SGH-T109
Samsung Innov8
Pantech Matrix
Samsung Rant

Upcoming reviews
LG Lotus
Samsung SGH-A637
Motorola W450
Sony Ericsson W980
Sony Ericsson C902
Samsung Epix
Prizefight: T-Mobile G1 vs. iPhone 3G

The T-Mobile G1 is more than just a phone.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

By now, you might have read Bonnie Cha and Nicole Lee's review of the T-Mobile G1, which goes on sale Wednesday. As one of the most anticipated cell phones of the year, the G1 had me on the edge of my seat the moment T-Mobile announced it. I wasn't part of the formal CNET review, but I relished the opportunity to get some one-on-one time with the device.

As Bonnie and Nicole rightfully point out, the G1's design isn't the most inspiring, and it lacks some needed features, but I still applaud HTC and T-Mobile for taking this step. Though it isn't perfect, and I can't think of a phone that is, the G1 is a great start on a new way to think about the mobile industry. It is much more than just another phone; the G1's real appeal lies in its promise of an open-source device that puts control in the hands of users. Whether the G1 will really deliver on that promise remains to be seen, but I think it has a lot of potential to do so.

The "walled garden" is a concept you hear a lot in the cell phone world. Basically, it describes an environment where one party controls every aspect of the user experience, from the handset to the service to the applications. For much of the mobile phone industry's life in the United States, that party has been the carrier. Yet, ever since the iPhone burst onto the scene 15 months ago, that concept has begun to change.

News
Samsung goes square with the Propel
AT&T fires off the Quickfire
Pantech Matrix slides both ways
Pantech goes thin with the Slate
AT&T picks up Sony Ericsson W760a
Craving the Motorola Krave
Second Prada phone gets QWERTY keyboard
Sprint offers Palm Centro in new colors and lower price
T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl available in new colors

Reviews/Features
Motorola Krave Zn4
Motorola Razr2 V9x
Wilson Mobile Professional Amplifier
Samsung Highnote
RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220
Prizefight: Samsung Omnia vs. HTC Touch Diamond

Upcoming
Samsung Innov8
Samsung SGH-T109
Motorola Active W450
Samsung SGH-A637
Pantech Matrix
Samsung Rant

RIM serves up its first touch-screen BlackBerry with the Storm for Verizon Wireless. Nicole is on vacation this week but Bonnie and Kent give you the full dish on this new smartphone, Nokia's fancy new music handset, more T-Mobile G1 news and the newest handsets for the fall season. And of course, we have our latest reviews and we answer your questions.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

News

Verizon officially debuts RIM BlackBerry Storm
HTC Touch HD won't be coming to the U.S.
T-Mobile taking more preorders for sold-out G1
Best Buy to carry BlackBerry Flip, Palm Treo Pro, T-Mobile G1
Report: HP to market new smartphone to consumers
What exactly is the Nokia Comes With Music service?
Nokia goes all out with new music phone
Nokia releases a slew of stereo headsets
Moto spills new models for Verizon, AT&T
Shocker: A slim slider for AT&T
Sony Xperia X1 clears FCC
Phone owners: Instinct good, not great
T-Mobile gets Nokia 1680
More new phones from Samsung

Reviews

Velocity 103
Pantech C610
Samsung Sway SCH-U650
Samsung SCH-U43010964
Touch-screen smartphones

Upcoming reviews

Samsung Innov8
Samsung Rant
Samsung Highnote
Motorola Razr2 V9x

A lot of good news coming from T-Mobile this week. First, after numerous complaints, T-Mobile goes back and lifts the data usage cap on the T-Mobile G1, and it finally rolls out its 3G network in San Francisco. Plus, Kent German reports back on his iPhone 2.1 software update survey and we give our take on the touch-screen phenomenon and wonder if the BlackBerry Bold will ever be released. All this and more cell phone reviews and listener questions on this week's Dialed In podcast.

News:

T-Mobile caves on 1GB data limit for G1
T-Mobile starts 3G service in San Francisco
T-Mobile's Motorola Active
Adobe exec confirms Flash for iPhone
iPhone users say 2.1 software update delivered
Verizon picks up Samsung U430
Samsung Pixon
Sprint Music will no longer offer PC song downloads
Best Buy outs BlackBerry Bold release date?
Rumor: Nokia E71 coming to AT&T

Reviews:

Motorola i365
Samsung Rugby SGH-A837
Kyocera Tempo
Samsung SBH700
Samsung Portable Hands-free Speakerphone
Samsung Omnia

Upcoming reviews:

Samsung SCH-U430
Prizefight: Samsung Omnia vs. HTC Touch Diamond
Wilson Electronics Signal Boost