Mobile broadband has come a long way since the early (and expensive) attempts at integrating 3G modules into laptops; today, cubicle dwellers are liberated by cheaper mobile data, along with the abundance of 3G dongles and the emerging mobile WiFi (ergo “MiFi“) hotspot devices. It’s no secret that Huawei’s been flirting with both Three and Vodafone for some time, but it was only recently that the manufacturer also made a MiFi — the R201 — for Vodafone (the carrier’s lesser-known MiFI 2352 in Spain is from Novatel). The question is: does this new HSPA MiFi have enough meat to steal the limelight from Three? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Vodafone R201 mobile WiFi hotspot review

Vodafone R201 mobile WiFi hotspot review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With September just a few days away, things are really about to get real for Nokia’s flagship N8, especially in Europe. For instance, Vodafone’s UK arm has just updated the “Coming Soon” page for this Symbian^3 device. What’s new? Just the fact that the carrier will be offering the phone in two colors: black and green, with the latter ironically exclusive to red Vodafone. Yep, that’s pretty much it — no prices or dates mentioned just yet, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for you N8 believers.

Vodafone teases with exclusive green Nokia N8, still mum on prices and availability originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember T-Mobile’s money-saving, finger-friendly Pulse? You know, the Huawei Android handset that received a 2.1 update in Hungary back in May? Earlier this month (on the 6th, to be precise), said phone’s British counterpart also received its share of cream-filled pastry, but perhaps one with cream gone sour. How so? T-Mobile UK didn’t explain when it quietly pulled the plug shortly afterwards, but some users were reporting problems with SMS and 802.11x enterprise WiFi authentication. Pretty serious stuff, especially for the former.

A few developers from MoDaCo got in touch with us as they struggled to get a reply from T-Mobile about the retraction, which got us curious. After all, a working 2.1 update would make the Pulse — now priced at £99 ($153) on pay and go — a pretty good buy, so we tweeted the carrier on Tuesday for an update. Coincidentally, the next day T-Mobile finally caved in and let loose on what happened:

“After receiving feedback on the recent T-Mobile Pulse Android 2.1 software update we’ve decided to suspend it temporarily. We’re working with the phone’s makers on an updated version which is expected in October.”

Yikes. But just you wait — read on for the juicy part.

Continue reading T-Mobile UK quietly retracts Pulse’s buggy 2.1 update, Huawei says it was non-final anyway

T-Mobile UK quietly retracts Pulse’s buggy 2.1 update, Huawei says it was non-final anyway originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While all of you Droid, Incredible and EVO 4G owners wait patiently for an official Froyo update to call your own, LG’s wasting no time introducing its first phones based on the latest and greatest Android build. Over in the UK today, the company has decided to launch the Optimus Series, a family of smartphones that’ll run “on a range of operating systems as well as Android.” If all goes well, LG will introduce around ten new smart devices worldwide in the second half of this year under the Optimus label, though only two are being partially revealed for now. The Optimus One with Google and Optimus Chic will both ship with Android 2.2 onboard, with the latter being specifically aimed at fashionistas who just might appreciate the “sleek curves” that make themselves so apparent. Further details surrounding pricing, availability and specifications remain to be seen, but here’s hoping this is just the beginning of the Froyo flood to come.

Continue reading LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first

LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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