The Palm Pre version announced at CES on Thursday, which Sprint will get exclusive access to in the U.S., supports EV-DO Rev A for mobile broadband access, but Palm is also working on a more Euro-friendly 3G version of the handset. Colligan didn't elaborate on any of the technical details.

 

But if the Pre follows in the footsteps of other recently announced smart phones, it will likely support for HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) at 7.2Mbps (megabits per second), as well as HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) at 2Mbps.

 

The Pre comes equipped with Palm's new operating system, WebOS, and combines a touch interface with a QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the bottom of the phone.

 

 

No pricing has been announced so far.

 

 

Device Description:

The Nokia 7510 Supernova is a fold phone with iconic and fashionable design with changeable covers, supporting GSM 850/900/1800/1900. The Nokia 7510 Supernova features Series 40 6th Edition, WebKit Open Source Browser, Nokia Maps 1.2, push-to-open key, FM RDS Radio, Flash Lite 3.0, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and MIDP Java 2.1 with additional Java APIs.

 

Nokia is obviously prepping a new lady-centric lineup called Supernova. The new collection will include Nokia 7610, Nokia 7510 and surprisingly Nokia 7310 which was initially rumored as 7310 classic. We remind you that as we already reported although the Nokia 7310 is still not officially announced, it's been spotted at several online shops available for immediate purchase.

 

The Polish Nokia website incidentally revealed the three new Supernova Nokia handsets which were later on removed. The great surprise was the mentioning of the Nokia 7310 Supernova, which was rumored (and even sold online) as Nokia 7310 classic.

 

The Nokia 7310 Supernova is based on the Nokia S40 user interface and sports a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.2-inch 16M color QVGA display, a built-in FM radio, stereo Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio jack. The tri-band Nokia 7310 Supernova weighs only 83g and is currently on sale for around 145 euro (220 US dollars).

 

 

Any phone manufacture will be happy about selling 5 million units of a new model in just little over a year of time.  That includes LG Viewty.

 

350,000 units were shipped in the company's homeland, South Korea, while about 4,650,000 units were sold overseas, mostly across Europe and Asia.

In addition, 5 megapixel camera phone pulteochiseukeurineul applies to the first three inches, the camera, capturing the fun 'than' watch the fun, highlighted by 'photo shoots for the most basic' Customer Insights' was reflected in the product.

 

The black, silver in addition to pink, blue, white and color products to continue to focus on personality shares meet the tastes of consumers said.

 

Via: LG

 

 

The Samsung i8510 (innov8) is a slider, packing an 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, and those special camera features that I am wanting - digital image stabilization, facial recognition, etc. It also sports WiFi, a built-in GPS receiver, microSD card slot, and S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2, for the full package.

 

This is especially cool because of Samsung's carrier relationships in the United States. Whereas Nokia struggles with AT&T and T-Mobile lately, Samsung has built a reputation with the U.S. carriers as the manufacturer who will help launch new products. With AT&T, Samsung was one of the launch phones for PTT, 3G, music phones (at least in marketing), and is a popular brand, if you look at AT&T's current lineup.

 

Having a Samsung with S60 inside such as the i8510 hit the U.S. market is also sure to spur Nokia on, as the company continuously pays lip service to the U.S. market. I'm extremely excited to see another of the S60 licensees using their license to its fullest, and give Nokia some healthy competition in the smartphone arena. Perhaps we'll even see a NAM 3G version of the Samsung i7110, with its solid build and OLED display!

 

 

 

Good news for UK mobile users in need of unlimited music downloads. Nokia N96 Comes With Music Edition was just confirmed by Nokia. Just like the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic CWM Edition, the N96 offers you access to a collection of more than 2 million songs, for free.

 

The access is granted for one year, but after that you can keep all the tracks you’ve downloaded, without additional costs.

 

 

Via: Unwiredview

 

 

In some ways it's unfortunate that every touch-screen phone that comes out these days is compared to Apple's iPhone. But given the popularity of the iPhone, especially here in the U.S., it's difficult not to do the comparisons.

 

My first impression of the new N97 is that even though it has impressive specifications, like a total of 48 gigabytes of potential storage and a 5-megapixel camera and video recorder, the phone seems more like an evolution of Nokia's N-95 or N-96 smartphones rather than a ground-breaking new touch-screen device that could potentially be the next iPhone killer.

 

For one, the touch-screen wasn't terribly sophisticated. Icons could be dragged and dropped using a finger, but unlike the iPhone, which allows you to pinch text to magnify it or reduce it, or even the new BlackBerry Storm that allows you to double click on text or images to make them bigger, the N97 didn't offer these features.

 

 

Design-wise the phone looked more like Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1. It has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a tilted screen. In this way, it's an improvement over the N95 or the N96, which offer tons of features and functionality, but lack full QWERTY keyboards.

 

That said, there are a few key features that the N97 offers that the iPhone doesn't. For example, the Nokia Web browser on the N97 supports Flash and Flash video, something that Apple's Safari browser doesn't support. And of course, heavy texters and e-mail enthusiasts, will like the full QWERTY keypad. I've had several iPhone owners tell me that they still carry around a BlackBerry for sending e-mails on the go, because they don't like the iPhone's virtual keyboard for typing longer messages.

 

The phone, which Nokia's marketing team calls a "mobile computer" also offers a whopping 32GB of storage on the device with the option of adding up to another 16GB of storage through a microSD card. And then there is the 5-megapixel camera, which also records DVD-quality video.

 

By contrast, the iPhone only offers up to 16GB of storage and users are unable to add additional storage via microSD cards. Also, the iPhone's camera is only 2 megapixels, and it doesn't offer video recording.

 

 

This is quite an interesting news indeed. It looks like the second android phone will not be coming from China but in the land down under instead. That's right folks, straight from Australia we have the second Android-powered phone dubbed the Kogan Agora Pro. Although, we might think that Australia is a most unlikely place for a highly-regarded mobile phone series to come from, fortunately, the Kogan Agora Android phone would not be failing those who are anticipating the next Android phone to be available in the market.

 

The Agora Android phone is by all means a feature-rich and power-packed mobile device boasting of a full QWERTY keyboard, central navigation key, a 2.5-inch touchscreen, microSD slot and 3G connectivity.

 

Since it will be powered by Google's Android mobile OS, the Agora phone will have some nifty preloaded Google applications including, Search, Calendar, Maps, Gtalk and YouTube.

 

For its key features the Agora Android phone will have a 2.5-inch TFT LCD flat touch-sensitive screen, integrated QWERTY keyboard, high-speed 3G network connection, one-touch Google search, easy web browsing, email attachment support for images, videos, music, and documents, customizable home screen with instant email, text message and IM notifications, instant access to mobile internet services, music player, Wi-Fi, GPS navigation, and 2.0 megapixel camera.

 

Other specs include, keyboard backlighting, built-in microphone and speaker, headphone jack, MIDI, MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, PCM ring tone formats, MPEG2 H263, H264, MPEG4 and AVI video support. This mobile phone gives out up to 400 minutes of talk time and 300 hours of standby time.

 

Kogan will be releasing two versions of the Agora phone, the lower end model will retail for AU$299 and the Agora Pro will retail for AU$399. Pre-orders are being accepted right now at the Kogan site. And the good news is, the company will be shipping internationally as soon as the Agora phone becomes available by January 29, 2009.

 

 

 https://www.G1-Forum.com

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Fourteen of the world's largest mobile phone and chip makers, including Sony Ericsson, Vodafone Group Plc and ARM Holdings Plc, joined the Open Handset Alliance on Tuesday to support the Android mobile device platform developed by Google Inc .

 

The new members' pledge to back the Android software is a significant feat for Google in the mobile phone industry, as its T-Mobile G1 phone takes on rival Apple Inc popular iPhone 3G.

 

But despite the big-name additions to the Open Handset Alliance, analysts say what matters is whether the new members introduce more Android-supported smartphones in 2009 and 2010 to compete with rivals such as Symbian, used by Nokia.

 

"It's great to get these folks on board...now (the Open Handset Alliance) has to make sure these licenses actually ship products," said research firm Jupitermedia's vice president of mobile strategy, Michael Gartenberg.

 

The first company of the fourteen new members set to introduce a mobile device that uses the Android operating system is Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of Japan's Sony Corp and Sweden's Ericsson. Ericsson said on Tuesday it plans to introduce the Android-supported platforms in mid-2009.

 

"Android is set to become a significant application framework for mobile phones," Ericsson's head of mobile platforms, Robert Puskaric, said in a statement.

 

The Open Handset Alliance said on Tuesday that each of its members commits to developing applications and services for mobile phones and handsets using the Android platform or designing Android-compatible mobile devices.

 

Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc, Toshiba Corp and Garmin Ltd also pledged their support, bringing the total number of companies in the Open Handset Alliance to 47, the Alliance said. These companies join earlier members of the Alliance, such as the world's biggest chip maker Intel Corp and mobile phone makers Motorola Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

 

Both Google and Apple have wooed developers to create applications for their mobile devices, but Apple keeps a tight grip on the iPhone's hardware and operating software. Google's Android is open to being changed by outside developers.

 

The addition of new members to the Open Handset Alliance gives Google-developed Android more heft in the battle over who will dominate the mobile phone software market in coming years. Android's biggest competitor is Symbian, which controls half of the market and was acquired by Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, earlier this month.

 

Nokia contributes Symbian's assets to a not-for-profit organization similar to the Open Handset Alliance, the Symbian Foundation. Members of the Symbian Foundation have royalty-free access to Symbian's software.

 

So far, 64 companies have said they plan to join the Symbian Foundation, including Japan's third-largest wireless carrier, Softbank .

 

Android also competes with Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, which has been gaining ground.

 

With a range of companies jumping into the Alliance, such as portable navigation device maker Garmin Ltd, Android has the potential to be featured on devices other than mobile phones. Each mobile phone maker also can modify the Android open source software, which leaves the opportunity open for many future mobile phones.

 

"What's fascinating about Android is it's this malleable thing. As these phones come out from other carriers it looks and operates differently," said Greg Sterling, a Web analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence. He added, "It seems more people will jump on the bandwagon."

 

 

LG Electronics Inc. claimed a step forward in the commercialization of the next generation of Internet capable handsets, demonstrating a modem chip with a download speed eight times that of the fastest mobile phones currently on the market.

 

The South Korean company unveiled the chip, created for a technology standard known as Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, at a research lab in Anyang, just outside Seoul, on Tuesday.

 

The so-called fourth generation technology, still under development, is vying with the rival WiMax standard to usher in super-fast Web browsing and downloads over mobile phones and other wireless devices.

 

"Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon," Paik Woo-hyun, LG's chief technology officer, told reporters.

 

LG's claim to be first could not immediately be verified.

 

The company said that mobile carriers have built test networks and the first mobile phones using the technology will probably be available to consumers in 2010.

 

LG said it achieved wireless download speeds of 60 megabits per second and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones on the market use a different technology, known as HSDPA, and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps, according to LG.

The company said that with the technology a 700 megabit movie file can be downloaded in less than one minute at speeds of 100 Mbps.

LTE also allows consumers to stream high definition movies without needing a buffer, which ensures smooth play.

 

LG said that companies such as Qualcomm Inc., Vodafone Group PLC, Verizon Wireless and Japan's KDDI Corp. are supporting and contributing to the development of the long-term evolution standard.

 

The rival WiMax, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, technology is similar to the WiFi signals available at coffee shops and airports but provides wireless data over long distances and is already in use on a limited basis.

 

WiMax has been backed by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Intel Corp., Motorola Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. of the United States.

 

 

 

Verizon Wireless has released a firmware update for its Research in Motion BlackBerry Storm device. The 4.7.0.75 update is now available via the phone's Desktop Software Manager -- accessible by connecting your phone to your PC and running BlackBerry Desktop -- and is expected to go out over-the-air by late Friday evening.

 

The upgrade comes amidst a storm of emotion as BlackBerry fans clash  with the numerous reviewersdelivering overwhelmingly negative impressions of the device. Perhaps the most attention-grabbing report has been writer David Pogue's piece in The New York Times, in which Pogue stated he hadn't "found a soul who tried this machine who wasn't appalled, baffled or both."

 

So can tweaked software turn the numerous naysayers around? It seems much of the critical lashing is geared more at the Storm's design and hardware, including its notably absent physical keyboard. Software issues have arisen as well, however, including Pogue's claim of constant "freezes, abrupt reboots, [and] nonresponsive controls."

 

The firmware update is supposed to correct some of those, including issues in switching between landscape and portrait modes as well as subpar multimedia application performance.

 

Some blog reports indicate Bell Canada is already one step ahead, distributing version 4.7.0.76 of the operating system.

 

BlackBerry Storm Updates website

 

oin us for food, beverages and an exclusive, hands-on preview at

 

The BlackBerry® StormTM

First-Look, First-Touch Business Event

 

https://www.vzwsolutions.com/rsvp/

 

 

It looks pretty legit to me with the only exception being that the codes are the same from top to bottom. For different phones with different rebate amounts, wouldn't you think the codes along the right side of those dates would be different on each item? I don't know how VZW does rebates, so I have to defer to the rest of the room.

 

CellPhoneSignal has secured a document showing that T-Mobile USA will release the Samsung SGH-t459 Gravity in November. The Gravity is expected to be a candybar cell phone featuring a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, in addition to its numeric keypad, for convenient text input.

 

According to the document, the Samsung Gravity features a fixed focus 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording capabilities and an accompanying microSD card slot for extra storage. Bluetooth with A2DP support for wireless stereo headsets, as well as support for T-Mobile's MyFaves service, is also expected to be on-board.

 

 

 

So there you have it people - Samsung's new Pixon M8800 phone camera. As far as a launch schedule goes, it will be available in France sometime near the middle of October and will then be released throughout Europe and Asia. As for US availability... Please, this is Samsung we're talking about here.

* 8 megapixel camera with autofocus

* 16x digital zoom and Fast Shutter

* Dual Power LED flash

* ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction)

* WDR (Wide Dynamic Range)

* Face Detection, Smile Shot, Face Link (face tagging) and Photo memo

* Auto Panorama Shot

* Geotagging support (integrated GPS)

* Photo Browser (Accelerometer Sensor, Tilt and flip, Sorting by Face/Time/Color/Folder)

* 30 fps D1 (720 x 480) video capture

* 120 fps (QGVA) slow motion video capture

* MPEG4, WMV, DivX, XviD playback support

* TV-out

 

That's right people, we weren't joking. The Pixon M8800 is strictly business when it comes to photos and video. The rest of the story; Meh.

 

* Quad Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) / GPRS / EDGE

* WCDMA 2100 / HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity (2100 only?! Fail)

* 3.2″ 240 × 400 262K color WQVGA TFT display (262K colors?! Fail)

* FM Radio with RDS

* Music Player (MP3, AAC, e-AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA)

* SRS (Surround Sound System) Virtual 5.1CH

* DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine)

* Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0

 

 

This attractively-priced full touch screen handset is complete with the latest touch technology and features found in the existing high-end full touch screen handsets currently available on the market.

 

 

• 3" Full touch screen

 

The 3.0 inch wide full touch screen is more screen "real estate" to better enjoy watching videos, playing games, and looking at photos. Bigger is better and that also makes it easier to use by physical touch since larger icons are easier to navigate than smaller ones.

 

• Active flash UI

 

The user interface is so intuitive that users will want to explore and master all of the functions and features of the LG-KP500. The UI allows users to access menus easily and shift around other menus simply and quickly with just one touch.

 

• Handwriting & Editing

 

The easy-to-use smart handwriting recognition function of the LG-KP500 allows users to send text messages without using the touch keyboard. It is possible to write in complicated languages such as Chinese. In the photo mode, users can easily edit their photos with the stylus pen.

 

• Motion sensor game

Using advanced motion sensor technology, the LG-KP500 adds more fun interactivity to games so users can enjoy mobile entertainment in a more dynamic and exciting way.

The games loaded on the LG-KP500 use a motion sensor that requires the user's eye-hand coordination to balance, flip, shift, and twist the handset to play the games.

 

• Auto rotating display

The QWERTY onscreen keyboard slides into view when the LG-KP500 is held horizontally, and the auto rotating display always shifts images or documents for proper viewing no matter which way the handset is turned.

 

• Embedded stylus pen

Since the stylus is embedded in the handset, the user instantly write a memo or edit a photo without having to search around for the stylus pen which often gets lost or misplaced.
The appearance of the phone is not sacrificed with the embedded, artfully "concealed" in the handset.

 

 

San Francisco-based company said Android users will be able to receive near real-time alerts about transactions via their mobile devices. Customers will also be able to use location-based mapping technology to find ATM machines and nearby stores.

 

The announcement came two days after T-Mobile unveiled its G1 phone, the first handset to feature Google's technology. The T-Mobile G1 is schedule to arrive in U.S. stores Oct. 22.

 

"By developing these mobile services for the Android platform, Visa has taken a major step toward achieving our goal of combining two of the world's most powerful and ubiquitous consumer innovations, electronic payments and mobile technology," said Elizabeth Buse, Global Head of Product at Visa. "U.S. consumers will, for the first time, be able to download Visa mobile service applications directly to their handsets."

 

The software will be available to U.S. consumers by the end of the year, starting with Chase Visa cardholders. Visa is also developing payment software to let consumers make mobile payments in stores.

 

 

 

SEOUL, Korea (AVING) -- LG Electronics launches its new 'Secret' phones coming with Ruby Violet and Titan Gold in Korea market.

 

Featuring timeless and elegant design of the phone enhanced by stylish materials such as carbon fiber and tempered glass, the Secret phone boasts its smart technology including the slimmest 5MP camera with face detection, ISO 800 and video recording at 120 fps.

 

According to the company, the Dark Silver, Aqua Blue and Ruby Violet models will be available in Europe market and the Titan Gold model in Asia market. Suggested price is around 690,000(KRW).

 

 

 

Enjoy music videos, films and streaming like you never thought possible on a mobile device. Experience internet browsing so exhilarating... it feels like you never left your laptop at home. It's all delivered to you on a pixel-packed 3.8" WVGA screen and seamlessly tied together with touch-responsive TouchFLOTM 3D.

The ultrafast 3.5G technology lets you surf and download at true broadband speeds. On HSDPA networks, the Touch HDTM delivers downlink speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps - there is no need to slow down while you work or play.

The newly added Stock tab keeps you informed of the latest stock quotes, while the connected Home screen puts e-mail, messages and calendar only a finger-stroke away.

Get directions, view satellite maps and find your location using Google Maps. The maps are bigger and crisper thanks to the expansive screen. Tap the onscreen controls to zoom in and view more detail. This is navigation taken to a whole new level.

Highlights

3.8-inch wide, WVGA (480 X 800 pixel) display offering a cinema experience on the go

Vibrant TouchFLOTM 3D user interface, responding perfectly to your finger gestures when scrolling through contacts, browsing the web, and launching media

Surf and download at broadband speed with HSDPA internet connectivity

Google Maps enhanced by the wide screen viewing platform

5 megapixel camera for quality stills and video

3.5 mm audio jack makes the Touch HDTM compatible with the majority of audio equipment available

 

 

 

 

The new BlackBerry Pearl Flip provides flip phone fans with all the power of a BlackBerry smartphone in a fun and familiar design. One quick flip of the handset opens up a world of possibilities with the industry's leading mobile messaging solution and a wide range of impressive Internet and multimedia capabilities, all in one powerful yet approachable smartphone. You can send a message to your friends or family, make a call, browse the web, snap a picture, watch a video or listen to your favorite song. It's all in your control with a simple flip.

 

The quad-band EDGE based BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone presents a sophisticated look with a sleek design and a chrome-finished frame surrounding its smooth, luminescent face. Packed with an abundance of powerful features, it weighs only 3.6 ounces and measures approximately 3.9" x 1.9" x 0.7". Featuring two high-resolution, light-sensing color displays, the external LCD makes it easy to preview incoming emails, text messages and phone calls without opening the handset, while the large, 240 x 320 internal LCD displays messages, videos and web pages with impressive detail and contrast.

 

"The popularity of BlackBerry smartphones has grown tremendously around the world and the introduction of this exciting new flip phone will help extend the reach of the BlackBerry platform even further," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "The BlackBerry Pearl Flip is a full-featured smartphone with a unique and friendly design and it is a natural choice for flip phone users who want to start doing more with their phone than just talk."

 

FIRST CLASS PHONE

 

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone is a top of the line mobile phone that flips open and cradles the face naturally and comfortably during phone calls. It delivers exceptional voice quality and includes many premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), support for mp3 ring tones, smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, voicemail attachment playback and enhanced background noise cancellation. It also features a speakerphone and Bluetooth® 2.0 for use with hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals such as a GPS receiver. The removable/rechargeable 900 mAhr battery provides four hours of talk time and over 14 days of standby time.

 

MESSAGING POWERHOUSE

 

Featuring a large SureType® QWERTY* keyboard that makes typing messages and dialing numbers fast and easy, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, like all BlackBerry smartphones, provides integrated access to the industry leading BlackBerry wireless services. Users are able to easily access up to 10 supported personal and work email accounts, send and receive text and instant messages, and connect on popular social networking sites with friends, family and co-workers. The DataViz® Documents to Go® software suite is also preloaded, allowing users to edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip is supported on BlackBerry® Internet Service, BlackBerry® Unite!, BlackBerry® Professional Software and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which provides tight integration with corporate email systems and the security and IT policy controls that enterprise customers require to confidently allow smartphones in their organization.

 

MULTIMEDIA TO GO

 

With an advanced media player for displaying pictures, listening to music and watching videos, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip is the perfect on-the-go entertainment center. Videos play smoothly on the large internal display, playlists can be managed directly on the handset and there's an equalizer with 11 preset filters - including "Lounge", "Jazz" and "Hip Hop" - for customizing audio ranges when using headphones or external speakers. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip works with the new BlackBerry® Media Sync application that makes it easy to sync iTunes digital music collections with the smartphone*** and it also features a conveniently accessible microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 16GB** for plenty of storage. High Speed USB 2.0 support allows files to be quickly transferred between a desktop computer and the smartphone and the BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software includes Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry® to help users easily manage their music and video files. Roxio Photosuite® 9 LE is also included for creating photo albums and editing pictures.

 

FULL FEATURED FLIP

 

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip packs an impressive range of features into its compact design, including phone, email, messaging, organizer, browser and multimedia applications, and it can also support thousands of other mobile lifestyle and business applications. It features a 2 megapixel camera with flash, zoom and video recording**** to capture memories while on the move, and includes BlackBerry Maps to deliver maps and step-by-step driving directions quickly and easily. An enhanced HTML browser displays web pages beautifully in either "Column View" or "Page View" and different emulation settings allow users to choose between desktop-style HTML content and the mobile version of web pages. The browser also supports RTSP for watching online streaming video from sites like m.youtube.com. In addition, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone features built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g) with support for UMA (unlicensed mobile access), extending wireless email and data coverage and supporting carrier enabled voice calls over home Wi-Fi networks, enterprise wireless deployments and Wi-Fi hotspots.

 

ACCESSORIES

 

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip comes with a variety of accessories including a stereo headset, travel charger and USB cable. Additional accessories for BlackBerry smartphones, including holsters and totes, charging pods, premium earphones, Bluetooth headsets and the BlackBerry® Remote Stereo Gateway are available through retail outlets or online at www.shopblackberry.com.

 

 

 

As expected, HTC officially took the wraps off the HTC Touch Diamond at a press conference in London Tuesday and great googly moogly, does this thing look hot! Not only does it look sexy from the outside with its sleek, black casing, but the Touch Diamond also features a revamped TouchFlo 3D interface that gives you a more animated and easier way to access your contacts, messages, and other content. You can do all this via the Diamond's gorgeous 2.8-inch, 680x480 VGA (yes, that's right, VGA) touch screen; plus, there's a new touch-sensitive control below the display to help you out.

 

The Touch Diamond is a lot more than just looks, though. The quad-band smartphone runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and has integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, and HSDPA support. HTC also noted that it will ship the Touch Diamond with a customized mobile Web browser that provides an optimized view of pages and lets you zoom and pan sites with one hand. In addition, the page orientation will automatically go from portrait to landscape mode when you turn the device sideways (hmm, sounds familiar. *cough, iPhone, cough, cough*) Other goodies include a 3.2-megapixel camera, 4GB internal storage, 256MB flash memory, and 192MB RAM.

 

The HTC Touch Diamond will start shipping in European markets this June, and then later in the quarter for Asia and the Middle East. As for us, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that we're actually getting our own version but unfortunately, we, as well as Latin American markets, will have to wait till the second half of 2008. Now, while the Touch Diamond certainly looks like a gem (sorry, had to do it), we're hoping it's more than just flash. And we couldn't help but be reminded of a similar-looking smartphone from Velocity Mobile. Mmm hmm, things just got interesting. Check out CNET UK's hands-on examination and our photo gallery of the HTC Touch Diamond.

 

Hi all, I've had the dare for about a month now and I have to say I love it. But not only coz of its fancy features or shiny beautiful design and screen, but mostly coz of its functionality.

 

My favorite part of the dare, and the part that sets it above any other phone I've seen including iphone, is the ability to add shortcuts right onto the "desktop" or initial screen. I'm a grad student and my schedule is hectic and I use the hell out of the calendar and notepad tools. I put my shopping list and 3 different to-do lists in there. And having them right there at first touch is a godsend, not buried deeply in menus like other phones. Also, the qwerty touch pad makes it much faster to enter text than models that don't have it.

 

I don't want to carry a PDA in addition to a cell phone, and don't want a big clunky expensive smart phone. The dare is perfect in its usability and aesthetics. Plus it's smaller, lighter, and not as cold/metallic feeling as the iphone.

 

All the other stuff, MP3 player, camera, video cam, video player, etc are just bonuses. The only thing I really wish for is to be able to write custom apps for it myself, since I'm comp sci, which I think is possible on the iphone? I'm not sure. But it's not a biggy.

 

Oh and one important thing - make sure you get a plastic screen protector. I got a cheap one from walmart. Saves a lot of worrying about accidentally scratching the screen. I just throw it around the house, in my pocket, etc dont even care.

 

So what's your favorite aspect of the dare? Smiley

 

You may know it as the RIM BlackBerry 9000, but on Sunday, Research In Motion officially took the wraps off the highly anticipated smartphone, complete with a new name. The "Bold" is in reference to the smartphone's gorgeous display, but it's also bold in that it represents a number of new moves for the company. Oh, BlackBerry Bold, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways.

 

The bold and the beautiful

As we just mentioned, the device gets its name from its screen. The BlackBerry Bold features a half-VGA (480x320 pixel resolution) and a 65,000-color display. During some initial product testing, research group participants repeatedly called the screen "bold" and "brilliant." The Brilliant moniker didn't really jibe with the company, thus the BlackBerry Bold was born.

 

So just how bold is it? Well, RIM stopped by our office late last week to show us the device, and let me just tell you, I was absolutely blown away. I can pretty much say I've never seen a better-looking display on a smartphone. Colors pop off the screen, and it's really amazing how sharp and crisp everything looks on the display.

 

We watched a couple of videos, and for the first time, we didn't notice any of the pixelation or blurriness that you typically get with phones. In addition, the menu interface has been revamped with a much more modern look and icons. Also, as you can see from the images, the BlackBerry Bold boasts a new design. It's more elegant than models past, with curvier edges and a silver trim that complements the black casing.

 

If you turn it over, you'll also notice that the back has a leatherette texture. No more slick plastic. RIM will sell replaceable backplates in different colors, including blue, gray, and red, if you want to individualize your phone a bit. The BlackBerry Bold measures 4.5 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide by half an inch deep, and it weighs 4.7 ounces.

 

Kevin Michaluk at Crackberry.com took a gamble, buying one on eBay, and posted a hands-on review. He made a good comparison of the device to the Motorola Q9h.

 

Finally, the BlackBerry Bold has a QWERTY keyboard that RIM likened to a modernized Curve keyboard, but I'm not really seeing it. Instead, it reminded me more of the BlackBerry 8830.

 

Now, I know some of you 8800 series users had issues with the keyboard, but I tried it out, and it's pretty easy to use--relatively large buttons with some spacing between the keys.
(Credit: RIM)

 

Wireless smorgasbord
There's a heaping of wireless options on the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) BlackBerry Bold, but the most appetizing and notable item is the HSDPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100) support.

 

It's the first such equipped BlackBerry, and we all know that it's been a long time coming. RIM says the delay for bringing such a device to the market is that it wanted to make sure that battery life wouldn't be sacrificed at the expense of including the 3.5G technology. Hey, whatever the reason, we're just finally happy to have it.

 

You also get integrated Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 with full A2DP support, and built-in GPS (enhanced and assisted).

 

Horsepower
The RIM BlackBerry Bold is equipped with a 624MHz Intel PXA270 processor, whereas previous BlackBerrys had 312MHz processors, so technically, you should enjoy smoother and faster performance.

 

During our briefing, there were a few hiccups in performance, but we're going to keep our fingers crossed and chalk it up to the fact that it wasn't a final unit. There's also 128MB of flash memory and 1GB of onboard memory, which is all supplemented by the microSD/SDHC expansion slot (supports up to 16GB cards).

 

Multimedia, Web, and other good stuff
You still with me? I know this post is getting a bit lengthy, but there are just a few more highlights to note. First, the Bold includes an improved Web browser (thank goodness), with the option to view pages in a full desktop HTML style or a mobile version, and you can now more easily navigate pages with the trackball, which acts like a mouse cursor, and zoom in and out.

 

As for multimedia, the smartphone is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities and up to 5x zoom. The media player also continues to support numerous audio and video formats, including MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4, and WMV3 files, and the phone is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack. By the way, the Bold has some pretty powerful speakers--none of that weak, tinny junk.

 

Oh, and hey, what's this? It's makes calls, and sends and receives e-mails, you say? Yes, you'll still get all of the voice and messaging features of previous BlackBerrys, and the handset will also come preloaded with Dataviz's Documents to Go suite, for document viewing and editing.

 

"When and where can I get one?"
Now that we've totally built up the device, and you're ready to run out and buy one, here's the letdown: the BlackBerry Bold isn't available quite yet. It's currently going through carrier certification, and although RIM wouldn't officially name the service provider, based on the 3G bands, you can pretty much guess who it will be (hint: starts with an A and ends with T&T). And while pricing will also depend on the carrier, RIM is guessing that it will be in the $300 to $400 range, and expected worldwide availability is "this summer."

 

OK, that's it! My fingers are tired from all the typing, so now it's your turn. Clearly, I'm pretty amped about the smartphone. Of course, the true test will come when we finally get it in for real-world testing, but from everything I've seen so far, the RIM BlackBerry Bold has huge potential. But what do you think? Hot or not? The commenting floodgates are open, so have at it.

 

Update: AT&T confirmed this morning that it will be the official carrier of the BlackBerry Bold but didn't provide any details on availability other than "later this year."

 

Via: cnet

 

With HP wireless printers, you could have printed this from any room in the house. Live wirelessly. Print wirelessly.

Apple iPhone 3G.If you expected startling news to come out of Monday's keynote for Apple's World-Wide Developers Conference (WWDC)--headlined, of course, by Steve Jobs--you went away unstartled and disappointed.

This event was mostly about confirming widely reported rumors: The high-speed iPhone 3G is indeed arriving shortly (on July 11), it's half the price of its predecessor ($199 for an 8GB model with a two-year contract), and it has GPS. Otherwise, much of the keynote was devoted to recapping stuff announced back in March regarding the iPhone's SDK for third-party applications and its support for Microsoft's Exchange e-mail platform.

As the day progressed, information emerged about certain things that Jobs and company hadn't mentioned, such as the fact that AT&T remains the exclusive U.S. carrier and will charge $30 a month for all-you-can-eat data. Gizmodo reports that the iPhone 3G must be activated in person at an Apple or AT&T store--a major step backward from the slick at-home iTunes activation of the original version.

In short, we're awash in answers. But as usual, I'm wrapping up the day of a major Apple announcement in connection with an extremely promising product still curious about a bunch of things. Things that--as far as I know--remain mysteries. Such as...

1. What's with the plastic back?

 

The 3G iPhone's plastic back (black version).As Jobs ticked off the design achievements of the iPhone 3G at the WWDC keynote, he mentioned its "full plastic back." I think that this change may indeed be a virtue--the shiny metallic backs sported by first-generation iPhones and most varieties of iPods are maddeningly effective magnets for scratches, fingerprints, and grime. But Apple usually upgrades its products by replacing plastic with metal; it's hard to imagine the company going the other direction unless it had a motive unrelated to aesthetics. Was it able to shave a millimeter or three off the required thickness by using plastic? (Cramming everything in was clearly a challenge. Despite Jobs' pollyanna-ish statement that the new iPhone is "even thinner" at the edges than its predecessor, Apple's official depth spec for the iPhone 3G is 11.6mm, versus 12.3mm for the original iPhone.) Maybe the metal would have interfered with GPS reception? Or did Apple simply have to go with cheaper materials when it cut the cost of the iPhone in half?

2. When will we get 32GB and 64GB iPhones?

 

For some of us, an iPhone can't function as a first-class iPod until it has enough memory to hold every song and video in a fairly large media collection. It's safe to assume that Apple will boost the phone's memory as soon as it can cram enough storage into its case and sell the resulting device at a price that a sane person might spring for. Since the iPhone-like iPod Touch already comes in a $499 32GB version, I'd be surprised if a 32GB iPhone is more than a few months away. But I'd be equally surprised if a 64GB iPhone showed up before mid-2009 or so, given the still-imposing cost for that much flash memory. (Apple charges a $999 premium for a MacBook Air equipped with a 64GB solid-state drive instead of an 80GB traditional drive.)

3. Will we ever be able to use an iPhone as a modem?

 

As I attended the WWDC keynote at San Francisco's Moscone Center, I was online with my MacBook-- courtesy of my Windows Mobile-based AT&T Tilt phone, which served up high-speed Internet access to the laptop via Bluetooth. Jobs didn't mention similar functionality for the iPhone 3G; if it's on its way, it's likely to cost more than the $30 a month that AT&T says it'll charge for an iPhone 3G data plan. But modem use is so handy that I'd happily pay more for it if it becomes available in some official form. (You can use an original iPhone as a modem, but only through scary, unauthorized techniques.)

4. How about turn-by-turn driving directions?

 

GPS on the Apple iPhone 3G.The iPhone 3G's GPS capability is nearly as exciting as the 3G itself. But the examples shown at the keynote ranged from the slightly alarming (Loopt's location-based social networking, which lets your friends determine exactly where you are) to the somewhat frivolous (Jobs's demo of "tracking," showing a car zig-zagging its way down San Francisco's famously crooked Lombard Street). The real killer app for GPS continues to be turn-by-turn driving directions, of the sort that companies such as Tom Tom and TeleNav make possible on other GPS-enabled phones. If Apple were planning to release such an application in July, Jobs would surely have mentioned it. Maybe it'll come in a future iPhone software upgrade, but it would be fine with me if a third-party developer beat Apple to the punch.

 

5. How will the iPhone 3G/BlackBerry Bold wars shake out?

 

The 3G iPhone's plastic back (white version). An awful lot of folks who are in the market for a multimedia-savvy smartphone this summer will probably winnow their options down to two contenders: the iPhone 3G and RIM's BlackBerry Bold. Then the choosing might get tough. The iPhone has a bigger screen, multitouch input, an accelerometer, and the sophisticated multimedia content engine known as the iTunes Store. And its price ($199) is likely to be significantly less than the Bold's. But the Bold has a real keyboard that feels good and that--unlike the virtual one on the iPhone--never eats away at available screen resolution. It also sports a full-blown office suite rather than the iPhone's relatively rudimentary document viewers. I'm still not sure which phone I'd ultimately pick.

6. What does all this mean for the iPod Touch?

 

Until now, the iPod Touch has delivered all the goodness of the iPhone (except the phone part) for less money. But things look dicey for the Touch in its current form at its current price point: It doesn't have the iPhone 3G's GPS, and the 8GB and 16GB variants now cost $100 more apiece than their iPhone counterparts. If you're happy with your current phone and have no desire to lock yourself into a pricey two-year voice and data contract to score an iPhone, you might still be interested in a Touch, I guess. But it's hard to imagine that it will stay popular at its current price--and since Jobs didn't mention a price cut today, I wonder if its days are numbered.

7. Will MobileMe be worth 99 bucks?

 

New iPhone 3G apps.Back in 2000, Apple released a free set of Web-based services called iTools. In 2002, the company redubbed them .Mac, and attached a yearly price tag of $99 to them--which is pretty pricey considering that the Web is rife with comparable (and sometimes better) free services. Yet another metamorphosis is imminent: .Mac will become MobileMe; and rather than focusing exclusively on the needs of Mac users, it'll target both Mac and PC owners who have iPhones or iPod Touches and want to keep their mail, appointments, and contacts in sync.

Apple marketing head Phil Schiller's demo was impressive--and MobileMe's Web-based applications looked as if they might be the first Apple services that live up to the high standards of Apple's traditional desktop software. The one thing that hasn't changed is the price--still $99 a year. A 60-day free trial will give prospective subscribers plenty of time to determine whether that's a decent deal.

8. Is the iPhone on its way to becoming Apple's primary product?

 

Jobs began today's keynote by saying that Apple had three primary product lines: the Mac, digital music, and the iPhone. Then he launched into a 2-hour keynote that discussed only the iPhone. The next version of Mac OS X, "Snow Leopard," was exiled to a session in the afternoon. That might be because Snow Leopard's release is so far in the future that Apple doesn't want anyone except developers to pay attention yet. But it's also a statement about how rapidly the iPhone has become core to everything that Apple does.

Those are the first eight questions that sprung to my mind, though I'll probably have dozens more as I mull over the keynote's news and the fallout from it. Got any answers or educated guesses--or additional questions of your own? We'd love to hear them.

 

 

 

Motorola, now B-list handset manufacturer that once gave us the all-powerful Razor, doesn\'t want to be left off the touchscreen handset gravy train. For that reason, Motorola has created the Blaze, a smart-looking little handset, all decked out in red, for all the CDMA fans over at Verizon.

 

The folks over at the Boy Genius Report posted new photographs of Motorola\'s new touchscreen handset, the Blaze. There should be little doubt that the handset will, indeed, be retailed for Verizon. No word yet as to whether smaller CDMA-based networks will receive the handset, but Verizon will most likely be the big player with this unit.

 

The Blaze isn't anything to scoff at, either. As to unit hardware specifications, the Blaze has a 2.0 megapixel camera, EV-DO support, Mobile TV, Blue-tooth, and that ever-so-lovely custom Verizon operating system. Why on earth Verizon feels the need to muddy the strong systems developers create is beyond me, but there you have it.

 

On the topic of Verizon cramming its own operating system onto each and every handset it retails, I would imagine it is so that customers don't feel like they're purchasing something completely foreign with a new handset. Obviously, there is some benefit to being able to pick up a new unit and already be familiar with the OS. However, that certainly makes a big statement as to what Verizon thinks about handset developers' abilities for programming.

 

The Verizon Blaze is unique in that it is a flip-style phone that you can operate while closed; beyond that, you won\'t be really missing much if you pass this handset by. Testing shows that the mobile browser is lack-luster, and just about everything else is more hassle than fun.

 

Still, one might assume from the low to mid-range specifications that those looking to land a decent touchscreen handset might be satisfied with the Blaze. No price range has been set, but with much flashier and higher-end handsets hitting the touchscreen market, expect this one to be at least reasonably priced.