Filed under: Handsets, ATT, Apple To be sure, a certain number of dropped calls are to be expected when you’re dealing with the wonders of cellular communication, but some phones do seem to fare worse then others when paired with certain carriers in particularly congested regions. Apparently fed up with such problems in New York, Gizmodo reader Manoj decided to stop by an Apple Store to see if something might be wrong with his iPhone — this, after apparently being assured by AT&T that everything was all right on its end. After a few tests, the Apple Genius determined that Manoj’s phone was dropping 22 percent of its calls, which turns out to actually be “excellent” compared to most iPhone users in the New York area, where a dropped call rate of 30 percent is said to be average — according to the dude at the store, anyhow.

Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM, EDGE, UMTS Here’s the problem with carbon fiber phones: they’re not for everyone, especially those who aren’t interesting in dropping over two grand on a midrange candybar. Don’t sweat it, though, because Gresso’s back at it again with a leather-clad version of its Grand Monaco called the Grand Monaco LE — “LE” apparently stands for “Limited Edition,” if the badging on the back of the phone is any indication — available in your choice of red and black.

Filed under: Handsets, Others, ATT, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA Welp, that didn’t take long. Just a few months after TerreStar announced that it had completed its first call on the new bird, the revived sat phone provider has now announced the first dual-mode smartphone for AT&T. Granted, we knew these two would be holding hands in the near future, but it’s still refreshing to see the Genus hit the landscape.

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, EV-DO, CDMA, Android Now that the Sholes has seemingly been gifted with a less bizarre, less reminds-us-of-a-shoe-insert name, pictures and specs of the so-called Tao are starting to flow en masse — just in time for a possible introduction at next week’s CTIA show out in San Diego (we can only hope, anyway). The first round of in-the-wild shots really didn’t reveal much of anything, but the cameraman has elected to apply just enough wide-angle this time around to give us a full-on view of the high-end Android beast in its closed position — and if this is what we’re going to be getting on Verizon shelves, HTC (and heck, even Moto’s own CLIQ) should be on high alert. So, who’d switch to Verizon for this

Filed under: Multimedia, Peripherals, Misc “Game changing” is thrown around way too frequently these days, but man, this thing just might be.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, GSM, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS, CDMA Those Imagio rumors have proven to be deliciously correct, with Verizon officially announcing the beastly Windows Mobile 6.5 set for availability on October 6 — the first day 6.5 devices will officially be available anywhere. HTC’s latest CDMA device features a spacious wide VGA display clocking in at 3.6 inches, a 5 megapixel autofocus cam, quadband EDGE plus HSPA 2100 for when you’re looking for a little connectivity abroad, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the very latest iteration of TouchFLO 3D featuring social network integration, but the most interesting feature might be its support for MediaFLO-based VCAST TV — a first for HTC and Windows Mobile. Interest parties need only wait until next Tuesday to latch onto an Imagio online, while retail stores will be taking delivery on the 20th of the month — either way, you’ll be paying $199.99 on contract after rebate.

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Nokia, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA There’s a certain joy, an undeniable stress release associated with heaving your phone directly at a wall. Of course, your average handset isn’t likely to respond favorable to that kind of maneuver, so you might want to pick up something that makes boastful claims about its ability to stand up to shock, vibration, and all the other ails of an abusive relationship with its owner — something like the Motorola Barrage, for instance. The Barrage is a mil-spec 810F that can tolerate submersion in a meter of water for half an hour, dust, baking in the sun, and everything in between, giving Casio’s place at the top of the rugged food chain on Verizon a run for its money.

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, GSM, EDGE Here’s one we know you’ve been waiting for with bated breath: the lowly Nokia 7020 clamshell has earned its FCC wings on its way to a Q4 release. The phone was always designed as a quadband EDGE device, so it’s not clear whether the FCC filing is indicative of an intention on Nokia’s part to actually offer the phone in the States — there isn’t any carrier branding and there aren’t any carrier-customized buttons on the keypad, so this might just be a formality. Then again, it could make a respectable backup phone or a cheapo to take overseas if they do decide to offer it direct or through the flagship stores — who doesn’t like concealed displays and 2 megapixel cameras, after all

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, GSM, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS, CDMA, BlackBerry OS If you’ve had you eye on the Tour, we bet you didn’t forget they were going on sale today — but just in case you had, consider this your official reminder. Both carriers are now offering RIM’s latest and greatest CDMA BlackBerry for $199.99 on contract, so you’re probably not going to see a lot of defections between carriers this time around. Pardon us if we don’t shed a tear for the lack of exclusivity on this one.

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA, BlackBerry OS We know you.