Recent reports have demonstrated that in countries where the iPhone exclusivity has been dropped, the number of Apple handsets sold has almost doubled. A good example is France, where the iPhone was only selling on France Telecom’s Orange since December 2007, wheres joining rival operators Bouygues Telecom and SFR, open doors for new customers hence why the amazing sales for the summer quarter.

(more…)

iPhone apps are getting more and more niche all the  time. Dynamic Controls, a company that specializes in wheelchair control units, unveiled an iPhone app that lets wheelchair users control their electronic wheelchairs via an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Dynamic Controls unveiled the new iPhone app at the RECHARGE conference in Germany, which is a trade show for the special needs community. As you can see by the pictures above, the app displays various information like speed and heading, and allows the wheelchair user to adjust various settings on the chair, like the seating angle.

The iPhone will connect to the wheelchair via Bluetooth, IR or WiFi, or through computer mouse control. A ‘chair doctor’ feature will diagnose any problems with the wheelchair and report it to the user, as well. The app also features web access to Dynamic Controls’ website, which will feature news that appeals to wheelchair users. Remember, with the full power of an iPhone, a wheelchair user would also be free to surf other websites if they didn’t want to read about advancements in pro-grip wheelchair wheels.

Dynamic is selling an optional attachment that will secure the iPhone to the wheelchair. Dynamic’s control units will also allow for iPhones to charge off of the wheelchair’s battery. The application can be used with any existing Dynamic Controls wheelchair unit and any 3G iPhone. The iPhone app is set to be released in April of 2010.

Motorola has announced a new touchscreen phone, and this time it’s not an Android device. And this time it is not coming from one of the big four carriers in the USA. The Crush, that’s the name of it, has been officially announced and it will be available from US Cellular by the end of the year for an undisclosed yet price.
(more…)

AT&T has a brand new phone for us and this time it’s coming from Pantech. The Impact will be available starting this Sunday, November 22, and it will cost $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate when purchased with a new 2-year contract.
(more…)

If the BlackBerry Pearl lineup has been lacking media attention as of late because RIM has been more interested in their QWERTY mobiles, apparently the Canadian manufacturer has been working behind the scenes and plan to revive it with the new BlackBerry Pearl 9100.

(more…)

Just yesterday we showed you the first leaked picture of the upcoming Motorola Motus Android phone and today we already have more details for you. Motorola hasn’t announced the handset yet but it looks like the full specs and features have been also leaked.
(more…)

Google have officially confirmed that they have revamped their Google News for Mobile service for the iPhone, Palm Pre and Android phones which, according to Google, “provides the same richness and personalization on your phone as Google News provides on desktop”.
(more…)

Verizon Wireless are doing everything humanly possible to rake in the best smartphone carrier title for this year. Although officially introduced in North America last month by Bell, it looks like Big Red is also interested in carrying their own version of the new Samsung Omnia II, with the handset debuting on their network weeks ahead of Christmas — around December 2nd,”in all channels” (telesales, online, and in-store).

(more…)

Whilst I’m less then enamoured with the iPhone’s camera and the quality of its imagery, if you regularly use your iPhone 3G/3GS’s camera and you hanker after a little more reach, you may be interested in this zoom lens developed specifically for the iPhone 3G/3GS which offers up to 8x zoom.
(more…)

Mercedes Benz owners that dream of an iPhone/BlackBerry application to control some of the stuff that have cost them dearly, should be delighted to hear that the German car maker has partnered with Hughes Telematics and have announced a new telematics system dubbed mbrace, that brings “unprecedented connectivity and customization options for drivers” who’re looking to change the in-vehicle experiences to fit their daily needs.

(more…)

If up until now the much anticipated Android-powered Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 has done a great job in teasing us with its amazing specs and the far away February 2010 release date, today we finally found out what the handset is expected to retail for, and we can confirm that that the high-end smartphone won’t come in cheap.

(more…)

Verizon Wireless have officially announced the immediate availability of a new ultra durable phone in their line-up in the form of the Casio G’zOne Rock – pronounced Jeez_wun, incidentally, in case you were wondering – which conforms to military standards in terms of durability (specifically MIL-STD-810F) whilst offering a host of features aimed to appeal to the outdoors type.
(more…)

When it comes to immortalizing a yet to be released mobile phone, spy photographers have their own way of taking a picture. There’s no flash, no autofocus, extremely low light and seems like their hands are trembling, as most of the times we get to look at blurry images that lack details and won’t disclose and specs. That’s the case with this image of a Motorola CLIQ-alike smartphone, that could actually be the new Motorola Motus.

(more…)

Despite the large shadow of censorship looming over the Chinese internet, the iPhone and it’s library of apps have become very popular in the People’s Republic. Backing that up, mobile application company 9thQ has reported that this year the legitimate Chinese iPhone apps have accounted for about $1 million, with projects to hit $6 million USD next year.

(more…)

We’ve covered the WebOS touting Palm Pixi pretty extensively here on TFTS and now, if you’re looking to get your hands on one in the US, you’ll be pleased to know that the Palm Pixi can be yours for less than a mere $25 when signing up with Sprint.
(more…)

As much as some Windows Mobile lovers will defend their Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets I imagine they’re waiting for the real thing just as much as the rest of us. Windows Mobile 7 is everyone’s fantasy, including Microsoft. Redmond has admitted in the past that it would have liked to have Windows Mobile 7 out sooner but that wasn’t possible.
(more…)

Oh boy, how do I explain all this to you folks? I don’t know whether to start with the serious stuff or with the pathetic lame new AT&T ad campaign.
(more…)

Samsung is not the only manufacturer in town busy at work on a new mobile platform. Sony Ericsson also happens to have something interesting for us and although it’s not a standalone OS like Samsung’s bada, the Nexus UX Platform WebSDK for future Android and Symbian Foundation phones is worth checking out.
(more…)

Are you ready for an electric vehicle in your life? If you’re not interested that much in the Tesla, although they do have some pretty interesting models, you can always go for an Aptera 2e. The car looks like an airplane that’s pissed off about leaving home without its wings again, but that doesn’t mean it won’t offer you a great driving experience.
(more…)

T-Mobile has a brand new offer for anyone looking for a new BlackBerry phone but not willing to get tied to a 2-year contract. T-Mobile Complete is the name of new service and you should check it out if you’re not particularly satisfied with any post paid offers.
(more…)

The long rumored and highly anticipated Nokia N900 is finally shipping for US customers, as announced in an official press release today. Apparently pre-orders for the mobile computer, as Nokia refers to it, have started shipping and those who paid the hefty price should be getting their Linux-based Maemo-running handsets, shortly — if not today.

(more…)

The BlackBerry Storm2 is probably one of the best phones available at this time but unfortunately for RIM the Motorola Droid/Milestone is getting all the attention. The Storm2 is a great smartphone and it’s certainly a better version of the first Storm launched last year by RIM.
(more…)

Sharp is not about to lose the precious market share they have built after so many years in Japan, hence why the company is working to introduce a new handset that is going to run on Google’s Android mobile OS, and it’s going to be released as early as the first half of next year.

(more…)

Is Google finally ready to launch its own Android phone? We’ve heard Google Phone related rumors for a long while now but Google hasn’t launched any handset yet. That might change in the very near future as Google is rumored to announce the Google Phone at some point next year.
(more…)

By now we already know all there is to know about the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 smartphone, including the full specs and features, but it looks like what we had hoped for, a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade, will not be offered as today, the company has confirmed that they’re not going to bring any officially update to give you WinMo 6.5 on your X1.

(more…)

Orange have announced that they have partnered with Twitter to offer enhanced Twitter integration to Orange mobile customers in the UK – allowing Orange customers to Tweet via both MSM and MMS – with the enhanced Twitter service set to additionally release in France, Spain and Poland before the year’s out.
(more…)

It’s not all pink in the GPS business, hence why the folks from Magellan would like to better secure their seats by announcing a new iPhone GPS app that would offer users, turn-by-turn navigation. Dubbed Magellan RoadMate 2010, the new application not only tells when and where to take a left, there’s also lane guidance, spoken navigation cues, a pedestrian mode for when you’re looking for a good espresso and a “find your car” option that could prove useful after a long night with the buds and a few gallons of whiskey.

(more…)

Extensively covered here on TFTS, by now we already know most of the things regarding Acer’s first Android smartphone, the Qualcomm Snapdragon based Acer Liquid A1. It’s fast and very reliable, boasts amazing specs and looks good, but the thing that may have slipped until now, was an actual release date. I’m saying “was” because today, our ninjas have got their hands on a report saying that the handset will arrive this November in the UK, will run Android 1.6 Donut and will cost £286 pre-tax (some $480 at today’s rate).

(more…)

Whilst user feedback concerning the Motorola Droid is, on the whole, pretty positive wide ranging reports from end users have highlighted issues with the Droid’s camera, particularly relating to the Droid experiencing autofucus issues. But now one Droid owner appears to have stumbled upon a simple fix that appears, according to feedback, to be solving most user’s autofocus issues – that fix being just to give the Droid’s camera lens a good clean.
(more…)

Having already announced the Samsung Galaxy Spica (Galaxy I5700) in Russia, Samsung have seen fit to officially announce their Galaxy Spica (also known as the I5700) once again what with it now having hit Europe, CIS and currently pending release in both the Middle East and Africa.
(more…)