Archive for Oktober 2008

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- Sony Ericsson Hikaru unveiled

Here is the first leaked picture of Sony Ericsson’s new Walkman-branded slider phone with metal housing. Known as the Hikaru, the music phone will be officially announced on February 15th 2009, before the MWC 2009, in Barcelona.

Some specs include a 2.6 inch display, an 8MP camera, Walkman player 4.0, stereo speakers, dedicated music keys, a 3.5mm headset jack and 8GB of internal memory. There’s no word on pricing yet, but it will be released in Q2 of ‘09. That’s what we know right now.

The Hikaru is a high-end device with high-end features. We’ll be watching this one.

- Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman Phone confirmed

Sony Ericsson has confirmed the new and affordable W395 Walkman phone with a 2MP camera, Bluetooth, a stereo speakers, dedicated control keys for music, and FM Radio. Each purchase will also get you a 1GB memory card and HPM-64 Stereo headset.

The W395 Walkman supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and will be available in selected markets from Q1 in Dusky Grey and Blush Titanium flavors.

It’s a nice looking Walkman phone with a lot of features. Are you guys waiting for this one?

- LG Arena KM900 reveals multitouch capabilities

Looks like LG isn’t going to have any secrets left where the Arena KM900 is concerned by the time Mobile World Congress comes around on Monday. They’ve released some more info, mostly having to do with multitouch capabilities for image and web page zooming and the like.

It features a dedicated multimedia chip and names for each side of the interface’s 3D cube. Those names are: phone, widgets, shortcuts, and multimedia. Get this. The UI “took 100 man years to develop”. Chuckle. At this rate, we will learn all there is to know before Monday.

Stay tuned. They apparently want to get all the info out so they can take it easy for MWC

- Alcatel + Lego = Lego phone

Alcatel and Lego teaming up to make a Lego handset? Earlier this year Lego and Digital Blue announced combined efforts that would yield a variety of Lego-electronics aimed at kids. The announcement included details on a digital camera, a walkie talkie and an MP3 player. The functional toys would fall into an affordable $20 - $60 price range.

Now Alcatel is apparently jumping into the mix and the trio is planning to get cell phones in the hands of children using Legos. This piece of Lego-electronics is rumored to be released by this summer along with the rest. Not sure yet if you’ll be able to connect a few of these Lego handsets together or not.

It would be great if you could use the pieces to create your own unique phone

- T-Mobile U.S. Launches BlackBerry Curve 8900

The time has finally arrived in the U.S. for T-Mobile customers wanting the new only to the United States BlackBerry Curve 8900. All the rumors have been confirmed. The price under a new 2 year contract is $299 with a $100 mail in rebate. You can purchase the phone outright without contract for $499.

We have heard from many sources including my local store manager that shipments have been limited to 5 per location much like the launch of the BlackBerry Storm on Verizon. If you want one be sure to be at the store at opening. I have also been advised that shipments of additional 8900s should be arriving in stores later this week.

If you want to purchase online follow this link. Let us know your experience purchasing the latest BlackBerry.

- Samsung Blue Earth Phone is made from water bottles

Samsung’s upcoming Blue Earth smartphone is a little different. In front you’ll find a touch screen, while the entire back takes advantage of the space with a solar panel. If you can believe Samsung, they are claiming that the panel produces enough electricity to place a call any time you need to.

We’ll believe that one when we see it, but as far as eco-phones go, this one is interesting. Keeping energy in mind, the phone includes an Eco Mode, which adjusts screen brightness and deactivates Bluetooth. Not only that, but most of the phone is made from recycled water bottles. Both the handset, and it’s charger are free from harmful substances.

There’s even a built-in pedometer that encourages you to walk and not be a polluter. So this is a serious eco hippie phone.

- Acer’s dual-side, dual-cam touch phones

Looks like Acer’s smartphone strategy at Mobile World Congress will involve at least two handsets. The DX650 would be a unique dual-sided phone with a dedicated number pad and small screen on the back to make calls easier. It will sport a 2.8-inch touchscreen and Windows Mobile 6.1 providing full app support on the phone’s front. The DX650 should also have GPS and a camera. 3G over HSPA and Wi-Fi are assumed.

The X960 looks like a more conventional 2.8-inch touchscreen phone and is known to have a fast 533MHz ARM processor and a front-facing camera for video calls to complement a back 3.2-megapixel shooter. It also runs Windows Mobile and carries HSPA-based 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi.

More details should be made public with the start of Mobile World Congress next week.

- Samsung OmniaHD to feature 720P HD-video capture

According to SamsungCentral, Samsung’s newly announced OmniaHD will be the world’s first cellphone to record 720p video. It will have a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, which should be decent for the HD content it will record.

That’s really about all we know if you take their word for it. It likely also has GPS, Wi-Fi, plenty of built-in storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Those are basic features, after all. No word on what OS it will run, but we would like to get one of these in hand.

We should learn more this week.

- Sony Ericsson unveils Idou

Sony Ericsson unveiled Idou today, it’s new high-end device, which runs a Symbian operating system. Idou features a 12.1 Megapixel camera, xenon flash and a large 16:9 touch-screen. Looks like a real winner.

As of now the Idou has no model name, but will be available in selected markets from the second half of 2009. The official website just launched.

We’ll know more soon. We think this one looks just awesome

- Sony Ericsson’s “Reese” flip QWERTY smartphone?

If the above picture is to be believed, Sony Ericsson will soon be releasing a new swivel QWERTY called the “Reese” that features one-click access to all of “your favorite networking sites.” There aren’t many other details beyond this.

Therefore, we aren’t quite sold just yet. The large portrait screen would allow you to view several messages of any one kind in HD. If it exists, it’s too early to pin down an OS, but it is possible it could be Windows Mobile or even Android. But honestly if this is real, it isn’t that exciting.

It might even be a fan render. Time will tell.

- Handphone is slightly ridiculous

Remember when you were a kid and you played with fake phones? Or maybe you played with an imaginary phone, holding two fingers to the side of your head. I have news for you, you didn’t look as ridiculous as this guy.

The Handphone concept makes you look like a borg taking a business call. It sits on your hand, with a few wires and fingers leads, and turns your fingers into a portable cellphone device. You navigate and control the phone using natural gestures and voice commands. For Borg technology, the LCD on this thing is pretty lacking. No wonder Picard kicked their butts.

“I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Hold on a second while I take this call.

- Motorola showing off new handsets

Motorola is showing off this week a number of new mobile handsets for consumers, including one which is compatible with both cellular and Wi-Fi networks. This latter model is known as the Motorola MOTO Z6w and it should be available in the second quarter of this year.

Motorola, besides showcasing the MOTO Z6w, was also announcing two new W series phones which the company says focus on “value and quality.” This is in addition to further previews of some more recently announced models such as the ROKR E8 and MOTO 10.

Want to know more? Check the full details after the jump.

Motorola Debuts New Devices At Mobile World Congress 2008

New Dual-Mode and W Series Handsets Added to Portfolio

BARCELONA, Spain – Mobile World Congress 2008 – 11 February 2008 –Today at Mobile World Congress, Motorola, Inc. introduced its latest device with both cellular and Wi-Fi network compatibility, as well as two new W series handsets that emphasize value and quality. Motorola will also showcase other recently announced products, including the award-winning ROKR™ E8 and MOTO™ Z10 at Motorola Booth Space, Hall 8, Fira de Barcelona.

Unbounded Connectivity
With the introduction of the Wi-Fi enabled MOTO Z6w, Motorola is making it simple for consumers to enjoy seamless services on a single device. The GSM and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN)-compatible handset extends the consumer’s wireless world for taking calls, fast Web browsing¹ and multimedia enjoyment by extending across multiple service areas, automatically switching between local networks to deliver high-speed wireless services. The sleek, rich-looking slider device offers an entertaining mobile experience with media-friendly features, including compatibility with Windows™ Media Player™ 11 on the PC, high-speed USB 2.0 for fast downloads, a 2.0 megapixel camera and video capture, and up to 4GB of optional removable memory².

“We are proud to add our latest Wi-Fi enabled handset to our growing portfolio, delivering a compelling wireless experience to consumers anywhere they go,” said Rob Shaddock, senior vice president, feature and mass market handsets, Motorola Mobile Devices. “The new W series handsets offer both great mobile phone basics and a solid music experience, in a candy bar form factor that you can show off with pride.”

Affordable New Handsets for Everyday Communications
Motorola is also adding two handsets to its robust W Series of dependable phones for staying connected at a great value. The new Motorola W161 and W181 devices allow consumers to have clear conversations in noisy environments with patented Motorola CrystalTalk™ technology. The two new candy bar devices also feature FM radio (optional headphones required), a large display, excellent battery life and an office-quality speakerphone.

Award-Winning Product Portfolio
Attendees at Mobile World Congress will also have a chance to see the Motorola lineup of mobile devices and accessories that deliver a complete, immersive music and multimedia experience, including products that recently received honors and awards. Highlights of Motorola’s latest products on display include:

* ROKR E8 – Transforming from phone to music player with one touch, ROKR E8 features ModeShift, a breakthrough technology that eliminates confusing “button clutter” so users see only the buttons they need — for a music player, cell phone or imaging device — at the exact moment they need them. And when one of ROKR E8’s virtual keys is touched, the device provides the tactile feedback consumers expect from a traditional keypad, thanks to innovative haptics technology. Favorite songs are quickly found with the FastScroll navigation feature, while Windows Media Player 11 compatibility enables the easy transfer of tunes from the PC to the device³. ROKR E8 also features CrystalTalk technology for outstanding call clarity. This quad-band GPRS/EDGE device has been building buzz and excitement since its recent debut, when it stole the spotlight with many prestigious “best of” awards at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

* MOTO Z10 – For filmmaking on the fly, this stylish “kick slider” makes it easy to capture high quality video, edit clips together, create transitions between scenes and add title slides and soundtracks³. This complete, pocket-sized, mobile film studio is always ready to shoot video at 30 frames per second. Crisp images are captured on its 3.2 megapixel camera that launches in 1.5 seconds and captures up to three images per second in burst mode. Budding filmmakers can easily upload and share their creations through any number of Web sites, turning spontaneous creativity into a social activity.

* Motorola EQ7 and EQ5 – For mobile music enjoyment, the first stereo Bluetooth® enabled wireless speakers from Motorola allow consumers to play music and take calls4 from almost any MP3 player, PC or mobile phone through wireless Bluetooth technology (including A2DP Bluetooth profile) or a wired 3.5 mm jack with rich stereo sound. The elegant and small speakers feature echo cancellation and noise-reduction technology for high-quality sound, as well as integrated controls that make it easy to switch between music and speakerphone mode with the touch of a button.

Availability
MOTO Z6w is expected to be available in Q2 2008. The W161 and W181 are expected to be available in Q1 2008. ROKR E8 and MOTO Z10 are expected to be available in the first half of 2008. The Motorola EQ5 and EQ7 are expected to be available in Q2 2008.