Josh Bancroft’s TinyScreenfuls.com

The Audiovox SMT 5600 (aka the C500) arrives in the States - Engadget - www.engadget.com

First the Motorola MPX220 starts trickling out, and now the Audiovox SMT5600 (a.k.a. the HTC Typhoon/SPV C500/Qtek 8010/Dopod 565)is available from AT&T Wireless:

Official AT&T Wireless page for the phone, including ordering, is here.

This is the smallest Windows Mobile Smartphone out there, and the specs are similar to the MPX220 - Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphones Second Edition, Bluetooth, VGA Camera, mini-SD, and a nice large screen. The SMT5600 is also the first device to ship with Windows Media Player 10 embedded, meaning you can copy your DRM-protected content from the new MSN Music Store or your Window Media Center (recorded TV shows, etc.) to the phone.

The phone will cost $199 with activation of a new plan/2 year contract with AT&T, or $319 with no plan. No word on whether the phone is SIM locked to AT&T Wireless’ GSM network, but given their history, I would guess it is. According to an email conversation I had with the support people at http://www.c500-unlock.com/, they can unlock any HTC Typhoon/C500-based phone, including the Audiovox SMT5600, given the IMEI number. So it doesn’t look like that will be too big of a barrier.

Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research has posted his impressions of the phone here.

As much as I’ve been looking forward to the Moto MPX220, I’m starting to lean toward this phone. It’s been getting tons of praise in its guise as the SPV C500, in contrast with the complaints that have been surfacing from early MPX220 owners, who have been noticing Bluetooth problems, build quality issues (especially the hinge, which seems flimsy), and low volume during calls that makes it hard to hear. None of these issues have been reported with the SMT5600/C500. The only downside, to me, is the candybar form factor - I’m become quite fond of the clamshell design of my MPX200, and the built-in screen protection that it offers. But the SMT5600 is absolutely tiny (barely bigger than the closed MPX220, and much thinner), and has bigger screen (2.2″ vs 2″).

Unless I decide to jump ship to the Treo 650 (if the GSM version gets released anytime soon), this will likely be my next Smartphone.

Motoring : Cell Phone : Recharging HQ :

If you’re anything like me, you take a ton of recharger adapters and their cords with you whenever you travel. For me, it’s my iPAQ power brick and cord, MPX200 charger/cord, and iPod charger and USB/Firewire cable. It’s gotten to the point that I actually bring a power strip with me whenever I go anywhere, so I know I’ll have enough outlets to charge everything.

Enter the Recharging HQ:

An internal power strip under the lid lets you plug in up to three recharging bricks, and store excess cord length inside. The arms on top look like they adjust to hold whatever device you need to hold. You can order it for $24.95 at the link above.

This would be perfect for my bedstand, and easy to just pack up and take anywhere for travel. No more power strip + tangle of multiple chargers and cords. Geek bliss!

Google SMS

OK, this is just awesome. Google, who seems to have the midas touch when it comes to cool internet tools, has launched their latest service - Google SMS. Here’s how it works:

1. Enter your query as a text message.

2. Send the message to the US shortcode 46645 (GOOGL on most phones).

3. Receive a text message (or messages) with your results, usually within a minute. Results may be labeled as “1of3″, “2of3″, etc.

You can get business listings results from Google Local, residential listings from the Google Phonebook, prices from Froogle, definitions from Google, or search excerpts from a regular Google search. See their How to Use page for more usage instructions and examples.

I tried this out, and the results were great. It’s much faster than going to Google in IE on my Smartphone (over GPRS, anyway), and if the result contains a phone number, the Inbox application recognizes it as such, and makes it a clickable hyperlink. One click dialing. I love it! A Pocket PC Phone Edition should do the same thing.

I can’t wait to show my wife how to use this on her phone. It will come in so handy when looking for a phone number or address!

Update: They’ve got a Google Groups 2 Beta discussion group for the new service here, and you can subscribe to an Atom feed of the group here, if you want to keep up with what’s happening, report bugs, or request improvements.

infoSync World : Preview: palmOne Tungsten T5

Amid much speculation and a flurry of rumors, palmOne today announced their latest handheld - the Tungsten T5:

It’s pretty much what we thought it would be - 416 MHz processor, 320×480 screen, Bluetooth but no WiFi. All in all, it’s kind of ho hum. The only real distinguishing feature is the large amount of flash memory - 55 MB of RAM for installing and running programs, and a 160 MB flash drive that can be mounted by a PC as a removeable drive via USB cable. It should be available on November 3 for $399.

InfoSync World has got the first hands on preview of the T5 that I’ve seen - go check it out.

Other than ton-o’-RAM, it’s pretty similar to the Tungsten T3. It’s a little bit smaller, and lacks the innovative slider function of the T3. My friend Brian picked up a T3 to replace his iPAQ 2215, and he came and showed it to me today. The high res screen is awesome, and the slider is great. I don’t understand why WiFi isn’t included, but if it were, this would be one killer device. We were talking about why he might upgrade from the T3 to the T5 - the price is the same, and you can add a cheap SD card to negate the advantange of the internal flash drive on the T5. The T5 is smaller than an extended T3, but larger than its compact mode. Decisions, decisions. Go check out Brian’s blog for updates on his experience with the T3, and to see whether he decides to go for the T5.

MobileTracker: Motorola MPx220 launch near

There are lots of signs pointing to an imminent release of the much-awaited Motorola MPX220. AT&T Wireless now has images of the MPX220 on their web servers, but no page yet. They even show a different color than the previous silver and black colors we’ve seen. MobileTracker says AT&T usually launches new phones on a Monday, so I’m thinking the 18th of October, which jives with the date we’ve been hearing for Cingular, too.

There are also rumors that Best Buy has the phones in stock already, in the Cingular guise, and that employees are being trained on them prior to launch.

No solid word on price yet, but MT is speculating that it will fall between $300 and $400, which sounds about right.

Anyone work at a Best Buy or AT&T store, and have some juicy info to share? Send it in!