Google phone hits stores

The T-Mobile G1, also known as the Google phone, is now available in retail stores around the US, says Redherring.

Critical tests for the Google phone will be its performance on T-Mobile's 3G network and the robustness of Android, the phone's operating system.

About half of the T-Mobile customers who pre-ordered the G1 were doing so to trade up from basic handsets, establishing the possibility that the G1 could help permanently shift smartphones into the mass-market consumer category.

BlackBerry has unveiled its 3G smartphone, the first to support HSDPA networks around the world, including in Japan and Korea, reports Foxbusiness.

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone will be available in the US on 4 November in AT&T retail stores and business-to-business sales teams.

The smartphone, which is being introduced in the US only for AT&T customers, can be used with 3G networks in over 60 countries abroad.

Industry engineers have attacked government testing underlying the Federal Communications Commission auction plan for free wireless broadband service throughout the US, states RCRwireless.

They warned that going forward with the plan risks interference to mobile phone services provided by companies that have paid billions of dollars for licences.

Engineers opposing the move believe that when generally accepted engineering practices are utilised, the AWS-3 operations under the commission's proposed technical limits will cause significant and frequent interference to millions of consumers.