When you take the INQ1 out of the box it feels like a quality device with its solid metal and plastic construction. However that illusion was shattered when I switched it on, as the display looks like a low end device and the icons and menus have a basic appearance. Instead of a user guide in the box there are a series of ‘flash’ cards which explain the principle applications. Although I thought the info was a bit thin it probably reflects the fact that non geeks rarely read user guides and just dive straight in! The full user guide is...
Filed under: Nokia, Misc Combining huge screens with usable keyboards in a pocketable package is the challenge phone manufacturers are eternally doomed to try to solve, leading to an endless stream of (mostly comical) patent applications for ridiculous form factors that will never see the light of day. That's where we think -- well, we hope -- Nokia's latest app comes into play, combining a portrait-oriented QWERTY keyboard with a wide display that somehow swivels behind the body of the phone when you only need a little bit of screen real estate. Looks cool on paper, but realistically, we think...
Earlier this week, Sony Ericsson announced that it will be joining the Open Handset Alliance and made known its intention to develop an Android-based handset. Hot on the heels of that announcement, rumors began circulating about a possible summer 2009 release of the first Sony Ericsson branded Android handset. According to the folks over at the Unofficial Sony Ericsson blog, that very optimistic rumor was false and the real story behind Sony Ericsson’s Android development plan differs greatly. According to USEB, here is what we know about Sony Ericsson and Android: The first Android-based handset will be a high-end...
Long before Virgin Mobile acquired Helio, we started hearing whispers that the Samsung F400 was destined for the carrier’s lineup. With its vertically dual-sliding design featuring a number pad on one end and dual speakers on the other, it would have been a pretty snazzy little handset for music fans on everyone’s favorite MVNO. Don’t expect to expect to see this one hit the shelves anytime soon, though. Read the rest of this entry at MobileCrunch »...
AT&T is currently offering its Pantech C630 cell phone that comes in a candybar format, featuring specifications that you normally won’t expect from a $39 handset (tethered to a 2-year contract, of course). Underneath the C630’s hood, you will be pleasantly surprised to find the following :- 3G connectivitiy aGPS and AT&T Navigator Bluetooth support microSD memory card slot 1.3 megapixel camera AT&T Video Share capabilities AT&T Mobile Music It is nice to see deviated number keys that glow white when depressed for a change, while the C630 is also made from a mixture of materials including a rubberized back-panel,...
After much delay, the iPhone is finally coming to South Korea. Based on the mobile industry as a whole we expected South Korea to be one of the first to get this handset. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) had been requiring handsets to use the locally built WIPI mobile platform, but that has changed. "...considering global industry trends toward the use of general-purpose mobile operating systems, we concluded that there was a need to allow carriers the freedom to decide whether to use WIPI or not,'' said Shin Yong-sub, the director of KCC's policy bureau. Restrictions such as this...
I have heard from numerous sources over the past few weeks that O2/Telefonica are considering removing all handset subsidies next year. Would this be a good thing? If you look at the global market I think the only market for subsidized handsets should be the countries where the carriers are just developing the market other than that I am in agreement with it as I look forward to my bill dropping a minimum of 50%. In case you didn’t know it I am paying for your handset. I don’t buy network looked handsets and since you do at a substantial...
Filed under: Handsets Here's a Sunday challenge for you -- what in tarnation is this thing? The mysterious T-swivel type handset has appeared on a Korean site, presumably signifying its status as a simple concept. Obviously, the device packs a full QWERTY keyboard, a front-mounted camera, a rather sizable display and a swivel contraption to keep things horizontal when texting and the like. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours here. Any clues on this thing's origins? We only ask because, you know, we'd love to actually toy around with one.[Via Pocketables]Mysterious T-swivel handset appears on Korean site,...
Here's a Sunday challenge for you -- what in tarnation is this thing? The mysterious T-swivel type handset has appeared on a Korean site, presumably signifying its status as a simple concept. Obviously, the device packs a full QWERTY keyboard, a front-mounted camera, a rather sizable display and a swivel contraption to keep things horizontal when texting and the like. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours here. Any clues on this thing's origins? We only ask because, you know, we'd love to actually toy around with one.[Via Pocketables]Filed under: CellphonesMysterious T-swivel handset appears on Korean site,...
This week we were happy to announce that the Linux 2.6 kernel has been ported the Apple’s iPhone. So far the development team has managed to get a serial driver, frame buffer driver, serial over USB driver and Interrupts and MMU Clock. Eventually we will be seeing support for sound, accelerometer, baseband support, touchscreen, write support for the NAND and wireless networking. It looks like Taiwan will be the next to get the iPhone 3G. The release date over there is set for December 13th. Chunghwa Telecom is the lucky provider to get the very popular handset and plans to...
Australian online-only electronics endeavor Kogan will actually make good on its claim to bring the world’s second Android-powered handset to market. Who? Exactly. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of the company headed by Ruslan Kogan; if you live outside of Australia there was hardly a reason to. We’ll bring you up to speed in three sentences: Kogan is a small Australian startup. Last month it gained a bit of notoriety when Ruslan Kogan claimed he would develop, manufacture and begin selling the world’s second Android-powered smartphone for less than US$200 before year-end. Pretty much no one believed...
Meet the Agora, a celebration of entrepreneurial spirit from a company whose name is (possibly) an elaborate antipodean joke. The Agora, from Kogan (rhymes with Paul Hogan) is Australia's first Googlephone. The home-grown handset comes in two flavors, both of which run Google's Andoid operating system, and are modestly priced at $300 for the regular and $400 for the Pro. We believe that those prices are in Australian dollars, which translate to $195 and $260 in current US currency. What counts here is the hardware, as the Android OS is pretty much the same as you'll find inside the T-Mobile...
I just got an email with the Kogan Agora URL from our Technical Contributor, Dan Lane, with a single word: “WANT” Agreed, Dan. Agreed. Let’s get one and see what it’s like! Do they do international delivery? I’ll need to see…...
Like me, the Wi-Fi Alliance is based in Austin, so I asked them if they wouldn’t mind setting up a home tour that would allow me to see the future of Wi-Fi in action. In the segment below, I sit down with Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, whose home I visited to talk about Wi-Fi on handsets as well as the future of Wi-Fi peering, which would create device networks independent of the Internet. Davis-Felner says the Alliance has certified 249 mobile handsets since 2003, 106 of them this year alone. She expects Wi-Fi on handsets to...
The Kogan Agora Pro has popped up in Australia as the latest Android handset and is available for international pre-order. The phone has a 2.5-inch resistive touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, 3G and GPS for $399. Kogan claims they spent a lot of time listening to direct feedback from consumers on what features they wanted most, and what price point they were looking to buy at, then Kogan filtered it down to the Agora. The phone sells without a contract or carrier obligation and also features a 624 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, wi-fi, 2 MP camera and 400 minutes of talk...
Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Accessories We know what you're thinking: what is this thing? Well, we're pretty much dying to tell you. It's a cradle insert that's coming out on January 2nd for an HTC handset. Nothing too fancy, and it's cheap -- just £7.99 (that's about $11.80). What's interesting here is that the handset, called the Lolite (sadly that's probably just an HTC code name), doesn't exist and we've never even heard of it. Is this just a phantom typo, or can we expect a new HTC phone in the very near future? Either way, the G300 sure is...
Filed under: Handsets, T-MobilePeek's kinda-sorta email-only handheld is one of the more polarizing devices to hit this year. On one hand, anyone who cares that much about email in their pocket probably already owns an email-capable handset; on the other, those satisfied with their pay-as-you-go phone may seriously be interested in adding this to their arsenal. Regardless of your take on things, we figured you should know that it's available for "today only" at $49.95, clearly setting the bar for a Cyber Wednesday in years to come. 'Course, that $19.95 per month data requirement isn't going anywhere, but half a...
Seems like everywhere I turn around these days, Skyhook Wireless is getting their service into a new product. They're the company that has a database with a large number, as in tens of millions, of WiFi location points. Calling their service WPS for "Wi-Fi Positioning System", Skyhook offers location information based on their vast collection of WiFi data. Think of it similar to cellular triangulation which uses local cell-phone towers to give you a rough estimate of your handset's location. It's used for phone location services and geo-tagging photos with an Eye-Fi SD camera card to name a few...
We’ve also just seen the 3D landmarks feature update over the air too, from web client too series 60 handset. Posted by email from MIR Live (posterous)...
