Archive for November 2008

- Bitstream announces open public beta for BOLT mobile browser

One of the biggest problems on many handsets when it comes time to surf the Internet on the go is the browser offered on the phone. Many mobile web browsers force users to view websites in a way that makes navigation difficult and runs the surfing experience we are used to.

Bitstream announced today that it is offering a free public beta for its BOLT web browser that promises to allow users of high-end and low-end cell phones alike to surf the web with a desktop like experience. BOLT allows users to view full desktop style web pages and to zoom in on sections they want to view closer.

The browser promises to be 25% faster in normal use than other browsers and as much as 50% faster in many circumstances and to reduce battery usage. The magnification technology sounds a lot like what the iPhone uses to allow easier web page viewing.

- BlackBerry meets the Optimus Keyboard

This interesting concept comes from designer Billy May. The OLED Blackberry is a combination of a Blackberry 7130 and an Optimus Keyboard. This OLED Blackberry was designed for the Mozilla Phone project, and obviously it takes the best of both devices and creates this stunning concept seen above.

The OLED keys, just like on the Optimus Keyboard can be programmed and change their look. It looks stunning and the minute you see it, you realize that you are looking at a device that has some actual richness of personality and could provide a richer experience.

Would a phone like this interest you?

- Samsung, T-Mobile announce 8MP mobile

Samsung and T-Mobile officially let slip yesterday word of an upcoming 8-megapixel digital camera mobile. It is the new Memoir (SGH-t929) and there’s no official word yet on pricing or availability.

The Samsung Memoir, said the two companies, is designed to look and feel like a regular digital camera. It has a built-in flash, 16x digital zoom and five shooting modes. It is also said to be easy to share photos taken on it with others via direct postings to popular online photo sharing Web sites.

Non-camera functions of the Memoir include a touch-screen interface, virtual QWERTY keyboard, multiple messaging capabilities, digital music playback, assisted GPS navigation and Bluetooth. The Memoir will only be available through T-Mobile.

- BlackBerry Storm price drops to $99 on Amazon, no rebate required

Looks like the touch screen BlackBerry Storm has dropped to $99 on Amazon with no rebate required. Previously the price had been $249.99 with a $100 rebate, which brought the total to $149.99. It’s probably a result of Amazon competing against Verizon’s own buy one get one free sale going on through March 31, 2009.

If you don’t need two BlackBerry Storms, then why not head over to Amazon and get one for $99 (after a 2 year new subscriber agreement). I guess this should make anyone who wants one very happy.

No paperwork to fill out. Nothing to mail in. Just drop some cash and get your phone.

- LG Arena KM900 gets official

Finally, after all of it’s teasing, LG has officially announced it will launch the LG Arena KM900 flagship at MWC 09 in Barcelona. They also announced some new features, while confirming Wi-Fi and A-GPS capability. The LG Arena will also support 7.2 MBps HSDPA data throughput.

It will come with “Dolby and Divx technologies… and feature audio and video technologies never before seen on a mobile phone”. The real interesting thing is their new 3D S-Class user interface: A cube-based layout that will give you four customizable home screens for direct access to all features on intuitive, touch-based 3D menus.

The cube interface is interesting, but once it gets all full of your apps etc, we will have to see how it runs.

- Samsung M7600 phone with Bang and Olufsen sound

MWC is almost here and the leaked images have started arriving. Meet the Samsung M700 which sort of resembles the Helio. This candybar phone features a 2.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, Bang and Olufsen amplifier, GPS and a 3 Megapixel camera.

You’ll also get a DJ scratching application that will let you add effects and even record, so you can be the man at parties. The phone could be available as soon as May of this year. We should know more when MWC kicks off.

- Review: OtterBox Blackberry Curve case

The folks over at OtterBox, protectors of gadgets for the active and accident-prone, gave us a chance to try out one of their defensive products to see just how well it holds up. In this case, OtterBox sent us a protective case for the Blackberry Curve, a device I have with me day in and day out.

Since the case from OtterBox is protecting something I own and depend on daily, we did not put it through the usual drops, dunks and vodka-proof trials that we would normally do. But, despite this we can tell you that this case blows away any other protective case we’ve had our hands on, for any mobile device.

We thought the best way to describe this protection was to take you through a quick tour of encasing the Blackberry Curve:

For starters, you need to still be able to press that QWERTY keyboard. To address this OtterBox created a molded, flexible membrane that is molded to fit around not just the phone but each individual key, and leaves a small hole for the track ball. When using it you can tell the membrane is there, but if you get it on straight its not noticeable by much.

Once this is applied, you can snap your phone into a hard plastic shell that encases pretty much the entire phone. It has a clear, flat plastic window for the display and leaves the keys open to expose the previously added membrane. There is also open ports for all the buttons, camera lens, speakers and ports.

On top of the hard plastic shell applies another case, but this time more rubber like. It stretches and snugly fits around the hard plastic case both holding it together and providing a soft case for drops and bumps. This rubber “glove” provides raised sections for pressing buttons without exposing the actual buttons. It also has pieces that can “fold” out and be put back in for exposing the ports, only when you want to.

In addition, the case comes with a holster and belt clip, designed to hold the device tight… real tight. Be sure to place the phone in the holster with the screen facing in. It will fit in the other way but you will notice that it will not stay put nearly as well. The holster is also made of a hard plastic giving another layer of solid protection at your hip.

Smartphones like Blackberry’s and the like have been traditionally synonymous with indoor office use, but they being found more often attached to individuals with more active roles and the phone itself is often just not built for it. The case from OtterBox is not marketed as waterproof but it has to be pretty close.

The downside is that it does have the exposed trackball but that one is pretty hard to get around while still maintaining its functionality. It also makes the phone quite a bit more bulky, and with the holster it is easily more than twice as thick. But, if you want the advantages of a smartphone such as a Blackberry Curve and lead a more active, or just plain clumsy lifestyle, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by taking a look at one of these cases from OtterBox. The case comes in black as we show here or a black and yellow model, both retailing for just under $50.

- Samsung C6625 with Windows Mobile, QWERTY keyboard

Samsung has unveiled it’s latest phone, available very soon unlocked from Expansys. You can pre-order the handset for £249.99. The Samsung C6625 features a 2.6 inch non-touchscreen display with 320 x 240 pixels resolution, Tri-band GSM connectivity (900/1800/1900 MHz connectivity), HSDPA 2100 MHz connectivity, a-GPS, Stereo FM radio with RDS, Stereo Bluetooth connectivity, a 2MP shooter with video recording, 100MB internal memory and a microSDHC memory card slot.

The battery will give you enough juice for up to 420 minutes of talk time and up to 300 hours of standby. It’s kind of like the Samsung BlackJack, but with a more rounded look. It’s aimed at business users.

No word yet on when it will be available.

- BlackBerry Gemini 9300

BlackBerry has yet another model to satisfy all of you email addicts, the BlackBerry 9300, also known as the Gemini. The 3G smartphone features some of the following improvements: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, Larger and better resolution display, Faster processor, Silver exterior ala BlackBerry 8830, and a Rounded keyboard.

No mention of Wi-Fi and GPS in the Gemini, but we assume they are in there. No word on price, but we should see it in Q4 of 2009. Q1 at the latest. It seems obvious that RIM is looking to transition all their devices to 3G over the course of the next year, which is a good thing.