Wireless News

Smartphones like the iPhone aren’t cheap and they live a hard life being carried around in a pocket where keys can scratch and being dropped while talking and walking. To keep your iPhone working at its peak you want to protect the device and keep it safe.

The best way to do that is with a hard case like the new CandyShell line from Speck. The new line of cases are available in five different two-tone color combos. The outside of the case is hard, but the inside is soft. Nobody wants a case that is going to scratch their phone.

The new colors include BubbleMaker Pink, BatWing Black, AquaBerry Blue, WaxStick White, and JamJar Purple. The interior of the case is rubberized and the case has openings for all the ports on the iPhone. The case also comes with a cleaning cloth and a screen protector. The case sells for $34.95 and the purple/pink version is only available at AT&T stores.

[via Speck Products]

Klipsch has been a big name in home theater audio for years and years. The company makes some of the best home theater speaker systems you can buy. The big catch is that their products are very expensive typically.

Klipsch has announced a new set of in-ear earphones with a 3.5mm headphone jack that will work with all smartphones sporting 3.5mm connectivity. The plug has a right angle for comfortable use on devices with side 3.5mm ports.

The plug is sized to work with all iPod and iPhone models and the in-line mic allows users to make and receive calls. A button on the cable also gives the user direct control over tracks on the iPod with the ability to skip forward and backwards. The headphones retail for $59.99, which is a decent price for Klipsch quality.

[via Klipsch]

Of the wireless providers around the country, the biggest are Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-mobile. Those may be the largest and best-known providers in the country, but there are also a number of other providers in the country as well like MetroPCS.

MetroPCS announced today that it is adding new features to its unlimited flat rate plans that require no contracts. The new $45 flagship plan will include unlimited email, navigation, and social networking. The $30 and $35 local unlimited plans will now include caller ID and call waiting.

The $50 smartphone plant gets no new features and offers the same ability to surf the web and connect to enterprise email. MetroPCS currently offers $5 add-on long distance plan covering unlimited calls to 100 countries and over 1000 destinations.

[via MetroPCS]

Intermec has announced a new device called the CN50 rugged mobile computer that uses technology from Qualcomm. The CNB50 is called a mobile computer, but supports both 3G data and voice connectivity so really it’s more like a smartphone.

The device runs a 526MHz processor and Windows Mobile 6.1 along with an ARM9 communications processor supporting GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS and CDMA2000 technology. The device has a 3MP digital camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and can be had with a QWERTY keyboard or a numeric keypad.

[via Intermec]

With the bad economy we are becoming used to reports from various manufacturers in high technology industries that are reporting loses and decreases in shipments. Some firms have been able to grow in the current economy, but those firms are rare.

Strategy Analytics has published reports that shows global shipments for mobile handsets has dropped 8% compared to last year during the same quarter. Total shipments in Q2 globally were 273 million.

Despite the 8% decline in shipments, the analytics firm believes that the market is showing signs of stabilizing and recovering from the downward slide of the past year. LG shipped 29.8 million handsets during the quarter, Motorola shipped 14.8 million, and Apple shipped 5.2 million iPhones.

[via Strategy Analytics]