February 2008 Archives

At the recently-concluded Mobile World Congress, BlueAnt has unveiled its new Z9 Bluetooth Headset. The BlueAnt Z9 headset has its own Voice Isolation technology which can filter the sound of human voice from ambient noise of up to 85dB. The headset has the capability to enhance voice signals which then results to echo cancellation, noise suppression, and reduction of wind noise. The 1.5-inch, .35 ounce BlueAnt headset comes with two ‘Voice Isolation’ modes -- the ‘Voice Isolation Standard’ for everyday environments, and the ‘Voice Isolation Max’ which makes voice isolation in extremely noisy environments possible.

If the service you've bought with your Nokia cell phones has got you grumpy in light of the recent price drops in various American cell phone networks' call plans, then the No-Key Nokia X-SIM can help you out. The No-Key Nokia X-SIM can unlock your DCT-4 or BB5 Nokia phone in a jiffy. And we're not talking about tinkering with your phone such that it voids your warranty. You simply insert the No-Key Nokia X-SIM with the SIM card of the network provider of your choice, and your phone is good to go. This works because based on a locked phone's mechanism, when you insert another SIM inside the phone, it won't work because its identification system would indicate that it's another network provider. However, the No-Key Nokia X-SIM can totally bypass this identification system, allowing you to use any network of your choosing. You can buy the No-Key Nokia X-SIM here for US$31.69.

Factory testing shows the No-Key Nokia X-SIM to unlock 2630, 5300, 5700, 6120c, 6110 navigator, 6500c, 6500s, N76, N95, N95 8GB, N61 8GB, E65, N73, N80, 6120c, N75, 6300, as well as all DCT4 and BB5 Nokia mobile phones.

After Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile announced their cut rates a few days ago, analysts speculate that Sprint Nextel would make a bold move and undercut everyone else with a US$60 call plan. I wondered how a business which is arguably in the red could keep afloat with that type of call plan, and apparently, Sprint itself thinks so too. Instead of the speculated $60, Sprint Nextel announced its new Simply Everything plan for $99.99. This call plan works for Sprint's CDMA and IDEN networks. And when Sprint says "Simply Everything," it means everything -- unlimited voice, data, text, e-mail, Web-surfing, Sprint TVSM, Sprint Music, GPS Navigation, Direct Connect, and Group Connect. Not a bad move, I say.

Oh lordy. I'm not big on mecha (that's robot for you, who don't know what mecha is), but I've had my share of it. And now, Softbank has come up with every mecha geek's ultimate dream -- a mecha-phone called the SoftBank 815T PB by Toshiba. The new SoftBank 815T PB model comes in two different versions as you can see on the pic -- the Silver X07 and the Blach X01. Aside from 3G capability, this phone features a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT LCD with 0.8 in monochrome OLED subdisplay, 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus, 14 MB built-in memory, and a microSD card slot expandable up to 2GB. Other features include "Buddy Talk" which lets you communicate with your phone as it displays a variety of expressions:

...and "Mobile Story," a card type battle RPG. Of course, as mentioned, these phones can transform into mecha-like bots with movable limbs. The SoftBank 815T PB phone will be available in Japan by April 2008. Check out the phones in their tame, unaltered state after the jump.

Apple is really set to conquer the globe. If you need more proof than what you've already seen, then perhaps this would convince you. It's been confirmed that the Apple iPhone is coming to Ireland exclusively via O2 Ireland. The official debut would be on March 14, 2008. The iPhone will be sold in the country through Carphone Warehous and O2 retail outlets. The iPhone versions which would be available in Leprechaun Country are the 8GB model which would be sold at US$600 and the 16GB model for US$750.

According to Danuta Gray, O2 Ireland CE:

"The iPhone is changing the way people use their mobiles forever, and we're thrilled to offer it to O2 customers in Ireland. Our strategy in Ireland continues to be to bring our customers the very best innovations and experiences in mobile communications."

Three new call plans will reportedly available for the iPhone which would start at €45. The US, UK, Australia, Germany, France, and now Ireland. Where next, Apple? We reckon it'll be Asian invasion time soon.

MSI will showcase a gamut of devices in this year's CeBIT on March in their presentation called the ECOlution. One of the most notable announcements, however, is its showcasing of the world's very first anion notebook.

The new device is called the MSI "Green Design" notebook. It has the ability to release a high-concentration of anions for some fierce air purification. The modern-day tech-savvy individual spends prolonged hours indoors, cooped inside their computer rooms, tap-tap-tapping on their keyboards. The prolonged usage of computers coupled with indoors' limited air circulation could lead to stress, fatigue, and other health problems. So what do anions have to do with it? Think of it like this: anions are known as ambient air's vitamins. It can make your body healthier, encourages blood circulation, and helps with fatigue recovery and nerve stability. And since we're all inclined to carry our notebooks anywhere with us, this means we're carrying an anion mill wherever we go. It'll be great to see how the presentation in CeBIT goes, until then, stay tuned.

Nokia Remade isn't the only phone concept which looks promising or, at the very least, intriguing. This entry in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2008 is every bit as sensational, although whether it actually hits the stores, I leave that up to time. Called the Bamboo, this is a degradable cell phone concept designed as an environmental-friendly device. The Bamboo's casing is made of bio-plastic made of renewable natural resources like corn, and Bamboo, which, when harvested, grows back in due time. What's more, after a year or so and you decide not to use the phone anymore, you can bury the print board, battery, and antenna in compost, which will then disintegrate, releasing bamboo seeds that would grow into new plants. The phone will also feature an energy-efficient monochrome display, and a hand-crack with which to re-charge the device. A 3-minute cranking session could provide enough power for one phone call. What better way to get those arm muscles tones and help save the environment at the same time?

More pics after the jump.

HD-DVD lost the high-def disc format in battle which many seems to think it never had a chance to win from the start. After Toshiba's retreat from the forefront of the high-def disc formats, it's only normal to expect various Blu-ray-centric devices to crop up. PLDS or Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions, understands the demand for the format and hence, has come up with the world's first USB-connected external BD-ROM drive. Called the Lite-On DX-4O1S, it can read the following formats:

Blu-ray Disc media at 4X
single-layer DVD at 12X
dual-layer DVD at 8X
CD media at 32X maximum

“Due to recent market developments we can expect an increasing volume of movies to be released in high definition on Blu-ray Discs,” said Jelmer Veldman, European Marketing Manager at PLDS. “The market adoption of Blu-ray as the optical disc standard for High Definition content results in a growing demand for Blu-ray playback solutions. The portable external Lite-On BD-ROM drive allows users to playback their Blu-ray discs on any PC via a USB 2.0 cable.”

The Lite-On DX-4O1S USB external Blu-ray Drive will start shipping on the second quarter of 2008.

Finally! After months upon months of mentioning the iPhone SDK, and upon spending its whole existence in the Apple labs, subject to Steve Jobs's scrutinizing gaze, it looks like the Apple iPhone SDK is finally seeing the light of day. Postponing its supposed February release (hopefully to ensure that everything is perfect), Apple is hosting a talk on 10 am, March 6 at its Cupertino headquarters. Here's what Steve and co. sent the members of the press:

"Please join us to learn about the iPhone software roadmap, including the iPhone SDK and some exciting new enterprise features,."

Fantastic.

A leaked advertisement shows us a delicious glimpse of the new LG Glimmer to be released by Alltel. The LG Glimmer advert leak comes, of course, with specs leak, which makes it all the more savory. The new LG Glimmer comes with a 2.8-inch touch display with haptic feedback for inputs, a 2-megapixel camera with 5x zoom, a numeric keypad slider, microSD card slot, 128MB built-in memory, 3.5 hours of talk time, Bluetooth 1.2 connectivity, and EVDO. Watch out for the official release of the Glimmer here in Mobilewhack.

A pic of the LG Glimmer press release after the jump.

Sony has just launched the ICF-ClipMK2 -- a stereo clock radio which supports the iPhone. And Sony is one of the first companies to launch such a device. The Sony ICF-ClipMK2 comes with a remote control with full access to the iPhone's menu along with the clock's radio tuning and volume control. The adjustable backstop mechanism fits the iPhone snugly, although smaller iPod versions could also be used with it. A line-in jack and cable which comes with the device could be used for connection of other players. The Sony ICF-ClipMK2 stereo alarm clock will be available in May for arouns US$100 in Sony retail outlets and the Sony Style web site.

KaonMedia is currently prepping for the launch of its new slider PMP -- the UPOP -- in the Korean market. The 4.8-inch UPOP has a slide-and-tilt 800 x 480 pixels resolution LCD touch screen. The PMP features a 61-key pad and has electronic dictionary support of 46 different types of dictionaries with focus on English and Korean ones. For video playback, its DaVinci chipset does the work, which is utilized extensively with its T-DMB with time-shift function support. The battery can support up to 5 hours of video playback. The UPOP PMP also has the ability to be used as a portable PVR set-top box. Various other features include Text to Speech function, image/text viewer, Office Viewer, Widget interface, calculator, calendar, and mp3 player.

Another pic after the jump.

A new UK-based company named Onyx has released its first offering -- the Liscio. The tri-band phone Liscio features a 1.10-inch 96 x 96 pixels OLED full-color display, 128MB built-in memory, Micro SD card slot of up to 1GB cards size, MP3 player, built-in FM radio, and Bluetooth v1.2 connectivity. Very basic, isn't it? No camera. No 3G. If you're interested in a basic black phone, however, the Onyx Liscio will be available as a SIM-free handset in www.onyxinnovation.com for around US$260 to be sold in the UK. By the bye, if you're thinking this handset is familiar, then you're right. Thanks to mobile magazine, we figured out that the Onyx Liscio is the repackaged Haier Black Pearl which was released prior to Liscio under a variety of other names.

Another pic after the jump.

The Storage Device Division of Toshiba introduced the new high-performance 5,400 RPM SATA HDD models. Their edge? These new HDDs are only 1.8-inches in size, designed specifically for mobile PCs. These new HDDs will be available in 80GB (model MK8016GSG) and 120GB (model MK1216GSG) variants. Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs use the architecture of the company's 2.5-inchers which debuted during CES 2008. These are the the first of Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs which used the SATA interface.

"The portable computing market is looking for an uncompromised computing experience in small and light-weight storage solutions," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing at Toshiba Storage Device Division. "With enhanced features for the mobile environment, these new 1.8-inch HDDs enable mobile system manufacturers to reap the benefits of high-capacity magnetic storage, along with better power efficiency and ruggedness."

Toshiba's new 1.8-inch SATA HDDs will be presented this February 26-29, 2008 in the Intel Mobility Summit in Shanghai, China.

You won't find cheap plastic on any Bellperre tailor-made phones. And indeed, Bellperre has just launched a new range of phones made in luxe, sophisticated materials. Belleperre phones can be covered in any of the 200 leather colors in its palette. Exquisite leathers are also available such as buffalo, shark, calf, and crocodile. Even the metal casings are customizable: from airplane parts to 18k rose gold and various others. These phones which can be further personalized through markings and engravings would be presented on March at the CEBIT 2008 and will be available by June in Europe.

More pics after the jump.

Lenovo has finally released the ThinkPad X300; the notebook PC to put MacBook Air to shame. Sure, at 0.73-inch at its thinnest point, the Air is still thinner. But I'd surmise that features and functionalities are valued more than the thinness of a notebook. Weighing in at only 2.93 pounds, Lenovo ThinkPad X300 runs on Intel Centrino with vPro technology, and features 13.3-inch LED backlight WXGA+ LCD display, 1.8-inch 64 GB SSD, up to 4 GB memory, integrated fingerprint reader, and a built-in 7-millimeter slim DVD burner which takes the cake. Aside from said features, the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 also sports USB, WWAN, WLAN, and GB Ethernet ports as well as a built-in GPS functionality. The notebook is made of advanced glass and carbon fiber with a Next Generation ThinkPad Roll Cage for added protection. And, just like the Air, the ThinkPad X300 is also a "green" device. It's rated gold by EPEAT, and is recognized as "one of the most environmentally-responsible PCs in the industry." That's because the model uses mercury-free LCD glass, energy-efficient SSD, and energy-efficient arsenic-free LED display which helps achieve 35% less power consumption as compared to older models. The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 Notebook PC is now available for approximately US$2,799 through Lenovo's business partners and the Lenovo web site.

Along with the Emobile HTC S11HT, the Japanese mobile network is also releasing the Emobile H11T, a clamshell phone by Toshiba. The Toshiba H11T has a 400 x 240 resolution LCD display, with a monochrome OLED sub-display of 96 x 39 resolution. It measures 50 x 104 x 17.9mm and weighs 130g. It features a 3.2-megapixel camera and 1-Seg TV tuner. The Emobile Toshiba H11T phone will be available for pre-order staring March 1, 2008 and will retail for approximately US$540.

Another pic after the jump.

Emobile Japan recently announced new service plans for their customers such as the "Mobile Phone Plan" with no basic monthly fees and the "Flat Rate Pack 24," which offers up to 24 hours free call as well as free text messaging between Emobile handsets for only US$10 per month. In accordance to this, Emobile unveiled two new handsets, one of which is the HTC S11HT dubbed as the EMONSTER (short for EMObile Net Smart TERminal). HTC S11HT is a slider smartphone with 2.8-inch QVGA LCD touch display and a full QWERTY keyboard. It runs on Windows Mobile 6 and is equipped with a 3-megapixel camera, wireless LAN, GPS, and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. The phone weighs 190g and measures 112 x 59 x 19mm. Preorder for the HTC S11HT in Japan starts on March 1, 2008 with a MSRP of approximately US$630.

Another pic after the jump.

How time flies! It seems like yesterday when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone Firmware version 1.1.3 during his keynote in Macworld. Then we discover that bricked iPhones could be resurrected by said version. Now, iPhone firmware version 1.1.4 update was announced. No specifics were given about this update, except "includes bug fixes and supersedes all previous versions." Hey, as long as it doesn't kill phones again, then it's all good. Update version 1.1.4 is now available in iTunes.

Apple announced the availability of new MacBook and MacBook Pro versions. These new versions are equipped with Intel Core 2 Duo processors of up to 2.6 GHz, up to 300GB HDD, and up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. Additionally, the new versions of MacBook Pro come with the Multi-Touch trackpad first seen in MacBook Air, an illuminated keyboard, and a built-in ambient light sensor. The new 13-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models are no available in retails outlets in The Apple Store.

Check out the specs of the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models after the jump.

WIBRAIN Korea has announced the launch of its entry-level UMPC -- the B1L. The WIBRAIN B1L runs on Ubuntu Linux although it supports the Microsoft Office suite. It has a 1GHz CPU and a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution 4.8-inch LCD display. There are four different models available with different HDD, CPU, and memory specs. Moreover, for those who aren't accustomed or inclined to using Ubuntu, Windows XP installation is also an option. The WIBRAIN B1L UMPC is available in the Korean market for US$400+ to $500+.

Toshiba has announced an improvement in its Satellite X205 gaming notebook series in the form of the new Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI notebook. This new model features the Intel 45nm Penryn Processor and NVIDIA SLI technology. The Intel Penryn processor offers a faster and more powerful CPU and generates lesser heat compared to other processors. This ensures great gaming performance. Other than this, the Satellite X205-SLI also has the NVIDIA SLI technology which is comprised of NVIDIA’s SLI graphics with dual NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT GPU. The NVIDIA SLI technology allows two graphics cards to work concurrently, producing life-like visual effects and fluid frame rates. The notebook comes with an HD-DVD drive, despite HD-DVD's recent death, a 17-inch screen, 320GB SATA HDD, WiFi, Bluetooth, and fingerprint reader. Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI is available in Toshiba Direct for US$1,999.99. Buy now until February 28, and you will qualify for 15 free HD-DVD titles here. Looks like Toshiba is looking for a way to dispose their HD-DVDs in stock.

Complete specs of the notebook after the jump.