Crave

The limited-edition smartphone comes in a wine finish, and sports a custom leather strap and a branded Monocle "M" logo on the back.

(Credit: Monocle)

Research In Motion and $10-per-issue jet-set business editorial magazine Monocle have collaborated on a BlackBerry Bold 9700 that costs an astounding $1,500.

Well, it actually costs 950 British pounds, but that's just how bad the exchange rate is right now.

Read more of "RIM, Monocle collaborate on $1,500 BlackBerry Bold 9700" at ZDNet's The ToyBox.

Nokia N97

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

The smartphone space has grown extremely competitive over the past couple of years, and though in a numbers race Nokia continues to sell more smartphones than its competitors, particularly overseas, the Finnish handset manufacturer is slowly losing its grip on the top spot.

Realizing the changing landscape, Nokia announced on Thursday that it will reduce its smartphone portfolio by half in 2010 in order to put more research and development into the products that it does put out. The company released around 20 smartphones in 2009, including the Nokia E71x, the Nokia N97, and the Nokia N86.

"We have cut down unnecessary differentiation, so that we have a far more focused portfolio for next year," said Antti Vasara, head of Nokia's smartphones research-and-development department.

Though Nokia's devices offer high-end features, the company has been criticized for churning out too many models with minimal variation among them. In addition, many (customers and tech reviewers alike) have criticized the Symbian operating system, which runs on a majority of Nokia's smartphones, for being outdated and lagging behind the competition, though it looks like the OS is working on a major face lift. The Linux-based Maemo platform, demoed on the Nokia N900, could also be a key player and differentiator for the company.

One big barrier for the adoption of Nokia devices here in the United States has been cost. Often passed up by U.S. carriers, the smartphones can cost anywhere from $200 to $650 and while the freedom of an unlocked phone is attractive, shelling out that much money upfront for a phone often overshadows any of the benefits. However, part of Nokia's plan is to push smartphone prices down.

"We see...really fierce competition certainly in the high end, but we also see it in the mid-to-low end of smartphones increasing," said Jo Harlow, the new head of Nokia's smartphone unit. "We will defend our position, but we believe we also have tools to play offense as well as defense."

Well, OK then, Nokia. Let's play ball.

(Sources: Reuters, Engadget Mobile)

What's new? Let's start with the Now Playing and What's Hot buttons.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Fans of Midomi, the song-identifying app for iPhone, will still recognize the app when the iPhone prompts an update to version 3.0, even if they don't recognize the new name: SoundHound. The app's core remains the same with its outsize orange button you tap to sing, hum, or record a song you want to ID, buttressed by another button for shier folk to speak the artist or song name, and a text field for old-fashioned typing. What's new is big, and it centers on two additional tabs below, one that lets you browse music trends and another that links up to your iPod library.

Tap "What's Hot" to pull up trend charts for the most popular songs on the Midomi network; the songs that are played more through Midomi than they are on the air; and a list of the most recently "grabbed" tunes that SoundHound and Midomi.com users have identified.

Following any musical entry pulls up an info page from which you can flow into an artist bio, bookmark or share the details, buy the song via iTunes, or watch available YouTube videos. A new lyrics feature presents the words to the tunes within the Midomi app; if that's not available, tapping the "lyrics" button produces Google search results, still within the app.

Midomi's SoundHound also cleverly hooks into your iPhone's iPod library through the "Now Playing" button. The songs you play through SoundHound get funneled into the Midomi network, so you can rapidly interact with your ditty as you would had you sought it out by typing, talking, humming, or recording the tune. Even better, SoundHound can show lyrics for your iTunes song as it plays. Likewise, if your music search turns up a song you've already got, an icon denotes the fact, and lets you play the tune from your own collection.

The robustness of the lyrics feature and the trend charts crowd in on TuneWiki's territory, and threaten to overtake it. Shazam, the other popular music discovery app, could also find itself on SoundHound's lunch menu, except for its loyal following and free price. Even the premium Shazam Encore may continue to appeal to some for its now slightly cheaper price tag and a handy offline mode, but its features pale in comparison.

The cost of owning Midomi 3.0/SoundHound does jump in this release from $4.99 to $6.99, presumably to accommodate the cost of licensing lyrics, though we haven't been able to confirm this yet with the app's publisher, Melodis. What we do know is that with this release, SoundHound is jetting to the front of the music discovery pack, which can only mean more sophisticated improvements down the line for its competitors.

Kent kicks off the podcast this week by reminding our dear listeners that Verizon iPhone rumors are just rumors. Until Steve Jobs says differently, he's not ready to believe a thing. New New Yorker Bonnie is taking the week off, but Nicole signs on to give her take on Android fragmentation, a costly new LG phone and the quality a Rock for Verizon.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Rumor of the week
Verizon iPhone rumors are just rumors

News
Moto Cliq gets software update
AT&T Voicemail to text
Google Maps Navigation arrives for Android 1.6
Differentiation leads to fragmented, confused Android
Developers want a better Android Market
Project with the powerful LG Expo
Casio G'zOne Rock
Kyocera spills three new handsets
Nokia slides out two new sliders
Motorola's iDEN i410
On Call: All about the Droid

Reviews
Prizefight: Samsung Behold II vs. HTC Droid Eris
Pantech Impact
Samsung Omnia II
Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito

Upcoming reviews
Sony Ericsson Aino
Casio G'zOne Rock
LG Shine II
Nokia N900

Good news for BlackBerry business users who are pinching pennies: a free version of the Gwabbit contact manager for BlackBerry is expected to surface in the BlackBerry App World--and only in the App World--on Tuesday, December 8. The current version of Gwabbit for BlackBerry costs $9.99 for a yearlong subscription.

Gwabbit (formerly Technicopia) came out with Gwabbit the BlackBerry app back in May 2009, as the mobile version of its Outlook e-mail add-on. Gwabbit scans incoming e-mail for a signature block. If it finds one, the software compares the contents to your address book contacts. If there's no previous match, or if it looks like there's been a change, Gwabbit will prompt you to add or update the contact.

We were impressed with the convenience Gwabbit gives business users who build up their contact lists from their smartphones. Moreover, we noted how effectively and quickly Gwabbit processed the e-mails, but only so long as the sender's contact details are conveniently organized in the signature block. Gwabbit lacks the sensitivity to pull possibly relevant details from elsewhere in the e-mail.

How could Gwabbit's publisher give away its $10-a-year product for free? ... Read more

Motorola Cliq

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

T-Mobile and Motorola have begun pushing a software update to the Moto Cliq. Google Android release 1.1.31 will offer the following changes. Motorola offers more information about the update on its support page.

• Longer battery life
• New battery management Feature
• Better Bluetooth
• Touch-screen accuracy
• TTY option
• Better business connections
• Improved caller connectivity
• Quick Office 2
• Accelerometer enhancements

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

It's been a long time since I've devoted an On Call to reader questions, but e-mails about the Motorola Droid have poured in following the device's debut last month. Some have offered nothing but effusive praise for the handset, while others have raised concerns. I've included a sampling of e-mails from the latter camp below. And be sure to catch my follow-up to a previous Android post at the end of the question-and-answer session.

Q: I think you described switching to Google Android quite well. I like the Droid, but I'm thinking of waiting for a GSM version. Will there be a GSM version and do you think that Verizon Wireless will carry it?
- Tandon55

A: A GSM version of the Droid already exists. The Milestone, as it's called, is almost identical to the Droid except that it has pinch-and-zoom multitouch. We're not sure why it has the extra feature--believe us when we say we're not happy about the disparity--and neither Verizon Wireless, Google, nor Motorola is offering an answer. The Milestone will land first in Europe and Germany, but it won't come to Verizon Wireless. Verizon uses CDMA, which is an incompatible technology to GSM, and Verizon already carries its own version of the phone. ... Read more

The Curve 8900 is just a penny.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

Service contracts may chain you to a wireless carrier for up to two years, but they also can save you some serious cash when you're buying a new cell phone. And since carriers love holding on to their customers, they're quick to offer free phones of all types. Some handsets will just make calls, but others will offer media players, cameras, Web browsers, and full keyboards for messaging.

If you're looking for a phone that won't put a dent in your wallet, CNET has pulled together a list of free phones from the major carriers. Prices can change frequently, but these handsets are free with a service contract at the time of this writing. Admittedly, AT&T's RIM BlackBerry Curve will actually cost a penny, but I thought it deserved a place on this list anyway.

To help you make the best choice I've also thrown in a link to the CNET review for each phone. Most of our reviews should also offer you a link to buy your handset, though you may need to visit the carrier site to get the very latest price.

AT&T
LG CF630 (blue and red) LG Neon
Motorola EM330
Nokia 2600
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900
Samsung Magnet
Samsung SGH-A237 (red and blue)
Sony Ericsson W518a

T-Mobile
Motorola V195s
Mototola W490 (bubble gum pink and heather grape)
Nokia 5310 (orange and red)
Samsung Comeback (pearl white plum)
Samsung Gravity (aqua)
Samsung Highlight (fire and ice)
Samsung SGH-T639
Samsung SGH-T819
Sony Ericsson TM506 (emerald)

Verizon Wireless
Motorola Rival (silver and purple)
Motorola VU204
Motorola W755 (black slate)
Nokia 2605
Samsung Intensity (flamingo red)
Samsung Smooth
Samsung Sway
Verizon Wireless CDM8950

Sprint
LG Rumor2
Samsung Reclaim (green)
Samsung SPH-M330
Sanyo SCP-2700 (impulsive pink)
LG LX370
Sanyo Katana LX (elegant pink)
Sanyo SCP-3810 (red)
Motorola i776 (silver)

LG Expo

(Credit: LG)

And you think your smartphone is powerful. Announced Monday, LG's new Expo offers a couple of "firsts" for AT&T, and we don't quite know which excites us the most. Not only does the Expo have a 1Ghz processor, but it also supports an optional pico projector for sharing videos, photos, and presentations stored on the phone.

On the outside the Expo sports a standard candy bar design with a 3.2-inch, 16 million-color touch-screen. You'll also find a QWERTY keyboard behind the sliding face. As you can imagine, the features set is rather high end, with a 5-megapixel camera with a flash, a microSD card slot, Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, a personal organizer, e-mail and messaging, and a media player.

The Expo will be available December 7 for $199 with a two-year contract (a minimum $69 per month service plan is required) and after a $100 mail-in rebate. The LG Mobile Projector, which snaps on to the back of the handset, will cost you an additional $179. According to AT&T it will be available in the coming weeks.