July 2008 Archives

If you have been holding out on buying the Curve because it lacks taste in color, here's something that could give you some hope. The BlackBerry Curve Sunset will be available in a combination of red and orange hues with a black lining around the display. Repulsive it may be to some, but certainly an improvement over the same dull-looking RIM devices that are available in the market. The BlackBerry Curve Sunset is scheduled for a release on August 4 from T-Mobile, so you might not have to wait too long if you have made the decision already!

CellphoneSignal

We woke up in an iPod mood today. After we've heard a rumor about the next iPod Touch, it appears the new iPod Nano will suffer some changes too.

The word on the street is that Apple will be transforming the new Nano which will look like a Touch only with a smaller screen. Other people are saying that the new Nano will look similar to the Zune. Why on Earth would Apple do anything like that?

Other changes suggest a 1.5:1 widescreen aspect ratio like the iPhone and the iPod Touch. As for the exterior design, it appears that the new model will come in the classic aluminum case. What, no colors this year?

Really looking forward to see all new iPods. Any Apple official announcements?

Palm Centro is reported to have surpassed the 2 million sold units barrier. How is that compared to Apple's iPhone sales? Who is going to win an iPhone vs Palm competition?

Provided Palm will continue to update their OS and launch better Centros, they are likely to continue to sell lots of handsets too. Maybe not as many as Apple which appears to learn more and more things about the mobile business and even reinvent it in some cases.

AdMob statistics shows that more mobile ads are served to Palm devices than iPhones, whether we are talking worldwide or USA. Of course Palm has been selling phones for far longer than Apple has but the battle is about to begin.

Looking at both phones, the iPhone seems to have a little advantage at this time, with all the buzz going around it. Palm Centro is still going to be a worthy adversary and its fans will be waiting for lots of upgrades, including touchscreens, but not only.

So congrats to Palm for now, but we're expecting more!

We had no idea the Hybrids are coming that fast from Dell but the Texas-based computer manufacturer has already launched them. And there are plenty of specs available. If you don't want an Eee Box or a Mini from Apple than you might consider buying a Dell. Not only does it look good, but it is also going to perform well for a rather cheap starting price.

The Dell Studio Hybrid is measured at only 7 by 8 and 1/4 inches and it's 2 3/4 inches thick.And once inside you'll get up to 4GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive and a T8100 Core 2 Duo processor. There's HDMI out, Blu-ray and TV tuner available if you want to transform it into a powerful multimedia device. Let's not forget about WiFi and wireless keyboard and mouse.

The Hybrid uses only about 1 watt in hibernation mode, 26W asleep and 44W when running. You can choose between various colors and materials. There's a bamboo case available or a plastic olive, mauve, red, blue, gray or orange case choice.

All that comes really cheap. From $500 you can go up and add all the components you desire.

Little did I know today, when I started talking about advertising and publicity in the mobile world, that I'll continue to do that. If we checked out earlier Verizon's way of doing advertising, it's turn for Nokia now. And what a site we we got immersed in!

Nokia's Face the Task talks about the Nokia N96. What's the charity and exclusivity all about? Well, you can get the phone a month before anyone else by entering a quiz and hoping for a lucky draw, or by paying 759 Euro or $1,195. The money will head straight to the WWF account for the Red Panda conservation. There you have it: Nokia's charity and exclusivity. And what a phone you will get. The Nokia N96 will boldly go where others wouldn't:

• up to 5 hours of live TV or video playback


• up to 750 songs stored in the 16GB memory


• a 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss Optics and a direct upload button


• A-GPS and Nokia Maps for geotagging pictures


• a 2.8 inch display


• record up to 40 hours of video


• WCDMA2100/900 (HSDPA) / EGSM900 connectivity


• GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS) connectivity.

Oh and we'll be back to post more about the Nokia N96 when the time comes.

Sure, people didn't line up for it like they did for the Apple iPhone, but the Nokia E71 made it to the USA officially at the Nokia Flagship Store in midtown Manhattan. The GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz phone supporting HSDPA 850/1900 bands is just 0.39 inches thick and one of the slimmest QWERTY phones available in the market.

Available through the Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, the Nokia E71 features a one-click switch mode function which changes the phone's appearance fro work-focused to personal-focused. Goodies include GPS, wi-fi, 3.2 megapixel camera, integrated A-GPS with Nokia Maps 2.0.

Priced at US $500, the Nokia E71 is now available.

Here's a phone coming from 3, the S2 made by Amoi of China. This is another Skypephone with preinstalled Skype software. It has built in Windows modem drivers which will install automatically once you connect it thorough the USB port.

Besides that here's what the Skypephone S2 features:

• 2.2 inch 240x320 display


• 3.2 mega pixel camera


• GPRS/UMTS/HSDPA


• 50 MB of internal memory


• microSD slot

Here's a phone coming from 3, the S2 made by Amoi of China. This is another Skypephone with preinstalled Skype software. It has built in Windows modem drivers which will install automatically once you connect it thorough the USB port.

Besides that here's what the Skypephone S2 features:

• 2.2 inch 240x320 display


• 3.2 mega pixel camera


• GPRS/UMTS/HSDPA


• 50 MB of internal memory


• microSD slot

Despite the fact the 3G iPhone is unavailable in various worldwide locations, Apple is going to release it in 20 more countries besides the initial 22. August 22nd is the day the iPhone will come to the rest of the world. Well not the rest, as there should be at least 30 more countries to still get it.

Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer mentioned that Apple is confident enough in its ability to increase production in order to keep up with demand from its growing market.

Check out the picture above to see if your country is going to get the iPhone this August. If not, you should be receiving it by the end of the year.

A GPS that does it all? Well the new Garmin Nuvi 500 is a decent candidate. No matter if you are traveling or just enjoying a relaxing walk in the park, the Nuvi 500 will deliver what's expected of a GPS device. It has routing capabilities, improved mapping and water proof hardware to brag about.

Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales says:

This multi-mode nüvi is the ultimate device for those seeking portable navigation in the car and in the great outdoors. This product allows us to combine features from several of our most popular automotive and outdoor navigators into one compact unit. From weekend trips to the lake, to a hike around the trail, nüvi 500 is ideal for people seeking automotive and recreational navigation in one dynamic device.

The Nuvi 500 will offer you a 3.5 inch water proof screen, a compass page, a track log and a removable, rechargeable battery for longer out doors activities. The "Where Am I?" feature will always show you the current location while the Garmin Connect Photos will let you choose between millions of geo located photos from Google's Panoramio.

BlueChart® g2 Vision, and Inland Lake Vision will help you a lot if you are traveling by sea. You will get specific details about pot soundings, intertidal zones, wrecks, port plans, restricted areas and more.

For more driving fun, the historic Route 66 map guide will show you specific sites and memorable places to stop in. Preloaded with topographic maps of the 48 US states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico the 500 version is quite a catch. There's also a 550 version which has enhanced street coverage in the USA or Canada. The European market will receive a scooter GPS for now which will be available as an extra accessory in other markets too.

With shortages reported everywhere in the US yesterday, some were estimating the new iPhone shipments to arrive sometime in the following weeks. Well it appears Apple's supply line from Asia is working better. Important Apple shops in New York and California had both iPhone versions in stock today. Well technically there are three iPhone versions, the 8GB Black, the 16GB Black and the 16GB White. Exactly the colors AT&T had suggested a long time ago.

Go to Apple's site and check availability for your location. Who knows, maybe your AT&T dealer has also received new handsets for this week.

Here's another phone from Motorola. Where did it emerge from? Well the FCC spotted it and it's our duty to mention it. The EM330 Motorola handset will be known as the Motorola Ischia in the future. Motorola seems not to be giving up their fight. They aren't doing that great in the mobile business lately but they keep sticking to it. More and more models are rolled over.

The Ischia is an entry level clamshell phone. Looking at the specs we see a VGA camera, support for microSD memoru cards, FM radio. Not exactly the smartphone here but the Ischia will definitely run applications like calendar, alarm, calculator and various Java Games.

More a mystery than a leak, we really don't know much about this device other than what we presume is its codename "Rose." May be HTC knows how to run a tight ship unlike Sony Ericsson and its constant slip-ups. Whether this points to the fabled Android-powered device or another Windows Mobile 6.1 push-over is anybody's guess right now. The only thing certain looks to be its availability almost everywhere when and if it does get released. But now that Bluetooth SIG has given up a name, it won't be long before our sniffers get to the bottom of this flowery conundrum!

EngadgetMobile

Verizon has just announced the Motorola Adventure V750. Not the most complicated smartphone, the V750 is still a very awaited handset. It has support for EVDO Rev. A and the Push to Talk service.
Verizon seems to grow their mid-range phone line with support for EVDO Rev. A as they have launched the LG Dare earlier.

The V750 is a clamshell. Besides what we have mentioned so far, it offers a 2 inch QVGA internal display, GPS support with VZ Navigator, support for Field Force Manager and a 2.0 megapixels camera with video recorder. There's also a microSDHC expansion slot, Bluetooth with stereo support, external media player control buttons, speakerphone and a shock and vibration resistant case.

Verizon will sell this Motorola from their online store for $149.99. Too much? Well there's an instant $50 online discount. The Motorola Adventure V750 will be available in store starting next week from July 28th.

When we last heard about Benq's E55, it was just a EDGE-toting cell phone with a dash of style and some low to mid-end goodies thrown in. Turns out this flip phone can do 3G too and is aiming for Taiwain, although there are no details about its release elsewhere. Other features include a 2-inch 176x220 pixel internal screen coupled with a smaller 96x64 pixel external display, FM radio, microSD expansion, and Bluetooth in a fashionable 94x48x19mm package that weighs in at just 95 grams. There are two cameras, a 2-megapixel and a front-facing VGA camera for video calls, making this a good contender in the mid-range category. Available in Taiwan for about $230 starting at the end of this month.

Word on the street is that the Samsung Blackjack III is coming soon to American soil. By soon we mean October, which is quite around the corner. The third Blackjack looks good so far and will certainly deliver what's expected from it.

AT&T is rumored to offer this smartphone. On other streets, the word is that SK Telecom will retail this Blackjack for around $600 or so in Korea starting this month. The Blackjack III comes equipped with a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS. Among its features, the A-GPS, WiFi support and 3G HSDPA high speed connectivity are worth mentioning. I'd be curios what will customers choose this autumn. The Blackjack III or the Thunder from RIM.

I know what you are asking yourself. Am I ever going to stop with these Sony Ericsson announcements? Well I will stop the minute Sony Ericsson stops launching cell phones. It's the third Walkman phone launched today and it carries the name W302. This model will be launched also in Q4 of 2008 in those interesting imaginative colors, Midnight Black and Sparkling White.

And here we have some features for this mid ranged Walkman phone:

• Walkman player


• Integrated FM Radio


• Premium style and design


• 2 megapixel camera


• Bluetooth Stereo connectivity


• 2 inch LCD display

Today seems to be another Sony Ericsson day. We've had a few a while ago with lots of cell phone launches. This Tuesday seems to be a Walkman cell phone day from Sony Ericsson. We've seen earlier the W902 and now we have another just launched model, the W595.

Well let's see it then! Let's see what features will the W595 bring to the table:

• Memory Stick Micro memory card slot


• Share jack and stereo speakers


• Bluetooth connectivity


• TrackID and SensMe


• 3.2 megapixel camera


• 2.2" LCD display

Sony Ericsson seems eager to get back on track after having a disastrous second quarter this year. And what better way of getting more money than by selling more cell phones. Here we have the W902 Walkman phone. Don't be fooled by the looks, this is a phone for the public. The public that loves music of course. It's not the smartphone you might be looking for.

Let's go through some of the features:

• Outstanding music sound


• Retro music navigation keys


• Crystal clear video playback


• 5 megapixel camera


• Scratch-resistant 2.2" QVGA screen and lens


• Memory Stick Micro memory card slot


• UMTS/HSDPA 2100


• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

Cheap Chinese knockoffs were the only things that played host to two SIMs simultaneously until now, but Samsung looks to change the game with the new D980 cell phone. While it didn't meet with much success on its first try with the P720, the D980 designed for the Chinese market (D988 DuoS in other markets) sure looks equipped to take on the relatively small dual-SIM arena. Based on the Samsung F480, the D980 has a 2.6-inch QVGA 262K color touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, a microSD slot, USB connectivity, and Bluetooth 2.0. Both the SIM slots should work with GSM triband 900/1800 MHz networks with speeds topping out at EDGE. Looks like Samsung couldn't afford to slap in 3G, but a pretty neat package nevertheless. There is no information on its availability in Europe, but we will try to keep you in the loop as more comes in.

Zol

Greg Joswiak is Apple's vice president of Hardware Product Marketing. He must be a smart man, to get to that position right? In an interview with him on launch day, some simple and common issues about the iPhone have been raised. One of the issues discussed was the copy paste function.

And since Greg Joswiak is a smart man we were expecting some smart answers from him. But here's how iPhone's copy paste function was explained. Or should I better say the missing iPhone function?

Apparently copy paste is either a really complicated feature either a very unimportant one. Mr. Joswiak said that this feature wasn't a top priority with "other things to be more important". Sure I mean why not? We'll wait one more year for the next generation of iPhones, the CopyPaste 3G iPhone.

I imagine what really happened. Why the guys in R&D were working on the last feature to be added, the copy paste thing, someone rushed into the lab. Mr. Joswiak started kicking and screaming about how "Mr. Jobs is already on the stage bullshitting people about the MobileMe application and he really needs an iPhone device in his hand and a presentation behind him up and running. Just leave the copy paste function out! Now!". These events took place evidently on the 9th of June of course.

Getting back to reality we should really be in awe. I mean, no matter what flaws the iPhone obviously still has, Apple has sold a whole million of them by Sunday. Surely copy paste will come to us eventually.

In this new mini-laptop world, maybe one of the most expected new releases is the Dell E. The mini-notebook from Dell is rumored now to retail for just $299 in August when it will officially launch.
What an Eee price for the Dell. At some point a price tag under $500 was rumored, but I think all mini-laptops lovers are going to love the $299 thing.

Sure the E series will have various laptops to choose from with various features so I am thinking that only those entry level netbooks will retail for $299. After all Dell is always trying to oversell their products. I mean sure they have great prices and lots of deals, but when you go ahead to order online, they tend to throw in lots of extended warranty options, accessories and software. And you end up buying some of that. So don't be surprised if your final order totals a whole lot more than the actual computer price you wanted to buy in the first place.

Asus, a leading manufacturer of top of the line laptops and notebooks, has unveiled its new Montevina platform-based laptop named as the F8Va. However, the said laptop will only be available on the Korean market, but in a few months, I bet it will be released worldwide.

The F8Va runs on an Intel Core Duo T9400(2.53GHz) processor with the Windows Vista OS. It features a 4GB DDR2 800MHz memory, 320GB SATA hard drive, ATI Radeon HD3650 graphic chipset, and a 14-inch WXGA LCD screen with 1440*900 resolution.

Other features included Bluray DVD combo drive, 1.3M camera, HDMI support. It is expected to be available in Korea market in the end of July.

via: aving

Samsung has another Windows-powered mobile phone in the works and it could end up with AT&T. A news article mentioned the new Samsung i907 has already been cleared with the Federal Communications Commission and could be released anytime soon. The i907, based on its model number, could be part of Samsung's i900 family or more popularly known as the Samsung Omnia.

With the devices' development, more details will come out, but right now, all we know is that it will come with a 3G+ (HSDPA), Wi-Fi and a decent camera.

via: gadgetscontrol

This is the Sony Ericsson Feng in the leaked picture above. I don't know if there's a Shui from Sony Ericsson, but if I was Sony Ericsson I'd create one. There can't be a Feng without a Shui, can it?
This phone will be announced on July 22nd and we also like to call it the W302.

The Feng will be a walkman version of the S302 phone. You must have lost interest by now. The S302 was an entry to mid range phone. Not the spectacular iPhone competitor you wished for. So the W302 will be similar to the S302. No high hopes for this one either. Besides the music capabilities, the Feng will have a 176x220 display and a 2 megapixel camera to go with that. Powered by the A2 software platform, this simple phone will be quite useful if you're looking for a fast, fun cell phone.