As smartphones continue their march into the mainstream the challenge of choosing the right phone for you grows ever-more challenging. This challenge is compounded by the fact that so many of HTC’s phones seems to be a slight variation on the same theme over and over and over again. (The same holds true for Samsung’s phones which all offer slight changes in screen size, features etc while remaining largely the same.) As Judie wrote in her review of the HTC Rhyme a few weeks ago,

I like items that have their own personality and that aren’t similar to every one else’s, but lately it seems like all of the HTC Android phones that I have

All the usual terms apply; you must either activate a new line (or upgrade an eligible account) on an Everything Plan with Data, Premium Data add-on and a 2-year agreement, but you can get your hands on the normally $249.99 Samsung Conquer for free until December 3rd from Sprint. Not too shabby! =)

The Samsung Conquer 4G brings all the apps, features and speed you can handle without a price tag you can’t. Powered by a 1.0GHz processor and Android 2.3, the Conquer offers a simplified and speedy experience for enjoying media, games or browsing. For serious speed freaks, fire up the 3G/4G hotspot capability and share a connection with up to 5 Wi-Fi®

Your faithful Gear Diary team is always happy when we can point you to good deals.  (I in particular revel in pointing you to stuff thats . . . wait for it . . . FREE!), and so I’m happy to pass along info about this deal on AmazonWireless.  Specifically:

A couple of great deals on the EVO Design and EVO 3D (Plum) which just launched this week. The EVO Design is great for globe-trotters in need of a smartphone that can go anywhere they go, and the plum version of the EVO 3D is a fun, colorful reboot of the world’s first 3D phone.

• http://wireless.amazon.com/HTC-EVO-Design-Android-Sprint/dp/B005XC6ZZE/ref=tsm_1_bl_aw
• http://wireless.amazon.com/HTC-EVO-3D-Android-Sprint/dp/B005XC4RWC/ref=tsm_1_bl_aw

Amazon is offering… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you have been wondering when the next member of the EVO family would make itself known, the wait is over, as the fifth member of the HTC EVO family — the EVO Design 4G — is about to be available from Sprint.

The HTC EVO Design 4G builds on the wildly popular EVO line, but brings you more in a sleek new package. The first EVO family member touting World Phone capabilities, the HTC EVO Design 4G builds on many of the “must-have” features of its predecessors, including a 1.2Ghz processor and large 4” qHD touchscreen display, while sporting a slim, pocket-friendly design at an easily affordable price. Capture content with the HD quality video camcorder – and

Last week I attended Samsung’s rollout party for the US Samsung Galaxy S II. The screen was like nothing I have previously seen on a mobile device! Spec-wise the rest of it was pretty impressive too. The phone features a Dual-core 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos Processor, has dual facing cameras (8MP rear, 2MP front), 802.11n WiFi and 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot Capability for up to 8 devices. The Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display is 4.52″, it runs Android 2.3 OS (Gingerbread). Of course the phone has Bluetooth and GPS and Samsung claims you can get up to 8.7 hours talk time.

Today’s Gear Deal brings is the opportunity to pre-order Sprint’s version of it, the Samsung Epic… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

So the day has finally come where the official announcement has been made for the Samsung Galaxy S II to hit US soil. The press conference is under way right now (Dan is there as I type), and just as we thought details are slim. A 4.5″ SAMOLED+ screen is destined for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, while Verizon is holding off for the Samsung Galaxy Prime, or Nexus Prime or whatever they decide to call it. As I watch the blogging commence I noticed while reading over at TmoNews some of the announced features of the new phone. What caught my eye is the promise of the robust Enterprise features that will be included with this phone… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Image courtesy of Droid-Life

What drives me nuts about mobile carriers these days is that I truly believe they are using new technology against us. Maybe you think I’m out of my mind, but it’s really easy to see the common trend happening with 3 of the 4 big carriers in the US. As mobile broadband and equipment evolve, our data plans seem to reverse direction and impose some serious and costly limitations. If I remember correctly in the past before smartphones were big, you could use all the data you wanted. But let’s remember the hardware was not nearly as advanced and you really weren’t streaming anything over a mobile… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

This post brought to you by Sprint. All opinions are 100% mine.

     With more and more of our personal information being kept on our phones the need for increased mobile data security has never been greater. If you have an Android or Blackberry smartphone on Sprint (or even one of a select number of feature phones), there is a service that just might be worth a look; especially since phone security is only one aspect of what it has to offer.

Yes, there is a new Sprint Total

It always pays to shop around, even when buying a carrier-branded phone.

Did you know that the same phones you can buy at the Verizon store are available on Amazon — some at greatly reduced savings from the carrier sites? No kidding — on the Verizon site, the HTC Thunderbolt (a phone I truly enjoyed while reviewing) is available with contract for $249.99.

That price seems fair enough, right? Especially since the full retail says $569.99.

Well guess what? On Amazon… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

To tether or not to tether, what to do? There has been a long-standing debate and rather good argument over whether tethering your phone is legal, ethical, or financially worth it. Most platforms today have programs available that allow you to tether a wired or wireless device to you phone without buying another data plan. Most wireless carriers do offer tethering at an additional cost, but even then they limit you data speed and connection options. These days almost everyone that has a phone capable of tethering and has an additional device or two that could benefit from sharing their 3G/4G data cellular data.

So the big question is if you cheating your carrier by… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The regular onslaught  of weekly smartphone announcements highlighting the latest offerings running Android or the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS, it’s very easy for Motorola’s ES400 to get lost in the mix.   The device doesn’t immediately scream ‘sexy’ and it’s running Windows Mobile 6.5.   Yes, I said 6.5!

So why on earth should you even care about the ES400?   Read on to see why this semi-rugged and enterprise-ready handheld may be exactly what your business needs.

Let’s be clear who the target audience for the Motorola ES400 is.   It’s not the tween texter.  It’s not… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Before the advent of “Simply Everything” there was an even cheaper way to get Sprint service. All you needed was the email address of a Sprint employee, and you’d qualify for a special plan called “Sprint Employee Referral Offer” or SERO. Basically it was deeply discounted service, and the people lucky enough to sign up have enjoyed ridiculously cheap wireless for the last few years.

In an attempt to drive people off SERO and onto the more lucrative “Simply Everything” plans, Sprint stopped allowing SERO customers to upgrade to new phones. Basically, name a hot phone on Sprint, and SERO customers couldn’t have it. No Evo, no Palm Pre, no Epic 4G, etc. Unless you let them pry… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you’ve got a Sprint HTC EVO 4G, then today you have yet another reason to feel vastly superior to all other Android Device users …

Today HTC marked yet another “first” in its long history of bringing innovation to the mobile arena. Ahead of the pack, Sprint has started to make available the latest version of the Android platform, version 2.2, otherwise known as Froyo, for HTC EVO 4G. Not only is HTC EVO 4G the first Froyo device with HTC’s Sense user experience, it’s also the first mass-market Froyo handset period. In addition to bringing a number of enhancements to HTC Sense, this major update introduces

A friend of mine was a iPhone user until about a week ago.  He had upgraded his iPhone 3G to a iPhone 4. He didn’t suffer from the iPhone 4 death grip, but was unable to make calls from his house or from his desk at work. This actually happened on his 3G as well but continued with his iPhone 4. He talked to AT&T and was able to return the phone and terminate the contract with out it costing him a lot. Still, he needed a phone.

While on vacation, he picked up a Evo 4G on Sprint. it worked fine. But when he got home his house seemed to be in a dead zone… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I had the opportunity to spend the last evening at Sprint’s special EVO event in Manhattan. The event formally introduced Sprint’s new powerhouse smartphone the EVO 4G. I also had a chance to get a good close look at the phone, play with it for a little while, and see some of their marketing people do a number of different demonstrations with it. The short version of this post — I’m pretty impressed by everything that this Android powered device can do. Sprint’s Dan Hesse kicked off the evening by introducing the EVO 4G and… in the process… took a few shots at the iPhone for lack of Flash among other things… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...