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What's an unboxing when the phone comes in a FedEx Pak with no box? An UnPaking! Sanyo Incognito is like LG enV3 for Boost. But shinier!

Despite the fact that the device has no plans to venture to the United States (just yet, at least), it doesn't mean that the SHW-M100S should go unnoticed.  With a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, the device packs an 800 MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording, 3.5mm headphone jack, and DivX support.  The SHW-M100S runs Samsung's TouchWiz user interface on top of Android - a major point of contention for some.  Given the lukewarm feelings surrounding TouchWiz, it will be interesting to see how the device is received by consumers.

The Samsung SHW-M100S is slated for SK Telecom (and only SKT) at this time.  Despite the plans to keep it in South Korea for now, it's nice to see Samsung ship a device with Android 2.1 pre-installed.  Could we see some US-bound 2.1 devices soon?

Via AndroidCentral

Yesterday, my interest in the Nexus One piqued to the point that I couldn't contain it any longer.  I had to add it to my arsenal of wireless devices.  Excited, I rushed to Google's ordering page, and that's where the trouble began.  Turns out, the ordering process was a bit more frustrating than I had anticipated.  I review phones for a living, and as such, have had several accounts in the past with numerous wireless carriers.  T-Mobile was no exception.  When the ordering process got to the credit check, I was told that T-Mobile was "unable to verify my eligibility" at that time.  Mind you, I don't carry balances, and I pay my bills regularly, so I was baffled. 

Long story short, I called T-Mobile Customer Care, and after some time on the phone, we came to the conclusion that my having accounts in the past (though they were closed) was confusing the system.  What's worse, with no direct link between Google's ordering system and T-Mobile's credit verification tools, I wasn't able to resolve the issue in the traditional ways (i.e. have them run a check, approve it, and save the credit application).  Using my years of experience in wireless, I started thinking of ways to work around the issue.

This is far from a perfect solution, but for those former T-Mobile customers longing for a subsidized Nexus One, here's what to do.  Get a T-Mobile SIM card, and call the Activations Department.  Tell the representative that you want a postpaid account, but you have your own SIM card and equipment, and you don't want a contract.  The representative will process a credit check, qualify in you in a credit class, and activate the SIM card.  When asked what plan you want, opt for the 500 minute plan for $29.99 (since you're only going to have this line for a few days, the $29.99 plan results in the least amount of proration - more on that below), with no additional features.  Make sure to write down the mobile phone number that's assigned to you, as you'll need it for the Nexus One ordering process.

Select the options you see in the picture above (or the "transfer a phone number" option) to obtain the $179 price tag.

As it turns out, once an account number is established, Google's (or T-Mobile's, rather) systems are able to process without issue.  Once you're up and running, return to the Google ordering page, and select the "modify my existing individual plan with T-Mobile" option (see the picture above).  Input your new mobile number, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number.  Under the "What would you like to do?" section, select one of the "add a new line of service" options to qualify for the $179 price.

When you receive the Nexus One, call T-Mobile and cancel the line that you activated prior to ordering the Nexus One.  Since there are two lines on the account (the Nexus One and the SIM card you started the account with), you can cancel the SIM card without issue (note: DO NOT cancel the Nexus One line, or you will be charged by Google and T-Mobile).  What's more, since the SIM card was activated contract-free, there's no early termination fee (ETF).

As I said, it's not the best solution, but for those that don't want to spend $529 for an unsubsidized Nexus One, it's the only workaround I've found to date.  My device shipped out this morning, and will be in my hands tomorrow.

 

Apparently, the device was shown to company employees last week, and it has been given the code name of "Zeppelin."  Running Android 1.5 and MOTOBLUR, the size and general feel is said to be similar to the Motorola Backflip and Motorola CLIQ.  Though the device is launching in Brazil next month, no word on whether we'll see this bad boy in the States. 

I'd agree with the Gizmodo gang - should we see a US launch, it would fit in well at Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile as a low-end smartphone.  We need additional Android devices in the category.  Could the Zeppelin, combined with MOTOBLUR, serve as a nice entry-level productivity device for Mom?

Via Gizmodo

Rarely do I find an advertising campaign that I'm as impressed with as Verizon's "Big Red" commercial.  The play on words that they're using here is all too reminiscent of the Big Red chewing gum commercials, which premiered in the late 80's and early 90's.  It's easy to see that (1) they're finally taking advantage of the "Big Red" nickname that they've had for years and (2) they're marketing to a distinct demographic here.

I always believed that these catchy (yet stupid, at times) songs helped customers remember products.  To this day, I remember the songs that accompanied Big Red, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, and Extra.  And Verizon has thrown in a few catchy phrases of their own - "you'll watch YouTube on a horse...when you'll use it!"  Who says that?  I'm still chuckling - and I'm going to have it stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Check out the Verizon advertisement and the original Big Red commercial below.

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With the recent rumors circulating about the BlackBerry (Curve) 8910, it doesn't surprise me that the Curve 8900 has taken a graceful bow and left the T-Mobile retail scene.  Though it has reached the "end of its life cycle,"  the 8900 represented one of the first models in RIM's "new design" category and was a great upgrade to the Curve 8300 series.  I made some calls this morning and found a few stores with Curve 8900's in stock, so if you're interested in picking one up, I would recommend a store visit as quickly as possible.

For now, customers have the option of picking up the Curve 8520 or the Bold 9700 until the Curve 8910 makes its way onto the scene.  How about it - trackpad, OS 5.0, and a revised design of any interest to you?

Via BGR

Following Nokia’s purchase of Symbian and the creation of the Symbian Foundation, it was always the intention to make the Symbian smartphone OS truly open source.  However, those best laid plans never quite work out the way they’re set out, and Symbian has been open-ish source for a while, available only to members of the Foundation.

But as of today this is going to change, as presumably all the legal wrangles holding up the transition have now been sorted out, so the Symbian platform’s source code will be available for download from 2pm today.  The open source nature of the OS means that developers can change the code as much as they want and implement it on anything they like.  In turn, this should increase innovation and speed up development of the platform, in a way which hasn’t been possible before.

Could this move kickstart a growth in Symbian which will see a truly modern OS developed to take on the likes of Apple and Android?  Or, as is noted by the BBC, that the open source status could be used simply for marketing purposes, in a similar way to Google’s successful stance?  We certainly want it to be the former!

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

Google just issued a firmware update - Android 2.1-update1 - that brings pinch-to-zoom to the Nexus One. Noah checks it out.

Less than a day after the Motorola Devour was made official by Verizon Wireless, the device is already being handled in the wild.

From the images and various mockups circulating around the internet, it looks like the device is made of metal.  The folks at AndroidSPIN (who were fortunate enough to get their hands on the device) reported that it "feels very solid."  From the images on the website, it's safe to say that it's about the size of the Motorola DROID (albeit with a smaller screen).

With one month remaining until the official launch, it's nice to get a better idea of what the device is going to look like (because, ya know, mockups only go so far).  Now, some hands-on video, and I'll be set.

Via MobileCrunch