Filed under: Handsets, NokiaWe're always down with new shades of old mobiles, and we're particularly find of new ones that bring along something extra. Nokia has just expanded its Supernova range with a Graphite and Passionate Purple Supernova 7610, 7510, 7310 and 7210. Each of the newcomers also brings along "enhanced services" that enable users to "share their images and video with friends through Ovi Share, as well as keep up to date with friends via Nokia Maps and instant messaging with Windows Live Messenger." There's no mention of pricing, so we'll go out a limb and assume they'll remain...
Palm is planning a massive product launch for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. It could be the company's last, best shot at survival. "It's quite likely, actually close to a certainty, that they will show a new OS, new user interface and probably new hardware," says Lawrence Harris, an analyst for Wall Street brokerage firm CL King & Associates. "This is Palm's last shot to prove it has what it takes to survive in a very competitive market." Palm ushered in the handheld computing revolution more than a decade ago with the Palm Pilot,...
Filed under: Handsets, ATT, AppleOnline shoppers looking to spend the holiday season firmly planted on the couch can add the iPhone 3G back to their lists -- we've just confirmed that Apple and AT&T have quietly brought back in-home activation. Sure, it's been available in limited circumstances before, but now it's here and for real, just like with the first-gen unit. Would-be unlockers looking to score a phone for $199 flat can't start celebrating just yet, though -- you'll still have to provide your billing details and face an ETF if you don't activate within a set period of time....
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,...
Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, Nokia This folks, is a classic case of "chicken before the egg." Reportedly, Nokia's director of product and technology marketing Sari Stahlberg was quoted as saying that "when the technology reaches mass adoption we would consider putting DAB radios into our phones," but rather than supporting it now and assisting the technology in becoming adopted en masse, it's fine to just wait things out. He continued with: ""The more the technology is adopted across Europe and other territories, the more chance it's got of being included." Translation? "We'll gladly pull the trigger once it's safe, but...
Today brought with it nasty news for Motorola. Standard & Poor’s slashed its corporate credit rating on the long-suffering handset maker, noting that the company’s troubled mobile business is likely to continue what is already a two year-long downward slide. “Revenues and profits in the first part of the year will be challenged by a narrower, somewhat-dated product portfolio,” S&P’s Bruce Hyman said in a statement. “Standard & Poor’s also expects about 10 percent fewer handsets to be sold worldwide in 2009 at lower average prices than in 2008.” An ugly blow for Motorola (MOT). With the economy in...
According to CNET, it looks like Bluetooth 2.2 will see the light of day sometime in mid-2009. Designed to work in tandem with other wireless technologies already present in many devices, the spec will be referred to either as Bluetooth 10x (working in conjunction with WiFi) and Bluetooth 100x (working with UWB). Something like this should good news for manufacturers of PMPs and handsets, expanding the range of possibilities to include Bluetooth media streaming and much larger file transfers. On the other hand, perhaps the new spec will finally herald the age of the Bluetooth viruses the doomsayers have...
Yahoo’s online photo sharing site Flickr today rolled out the new mobile version of its site. Phones such as Nokia’s N Series, the Samsung L870, phones with Opera Mobile browsers, Android-based phones and yes, the iPhone (and iPod touch) can now access the new version of the site at m.flickr.com. The new site, which iPhone users have been able to see in beta form since October, looks great. It reminds me a lot of the original Facebook site that was built for the iPhone after it originally launched in 2007. It has nice, easy-to-click tabs along the top that take...
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...
In a side interview at the Nokia World Conference, Ukko Lappalainen, vice president of Nokia’s markets unit, told Reuters, “In the longer perspective, Linux will become a serious alternative for our high-end phones.” He further elaborated upon Nokia’s endorsement of Linux by saying “I don’t see anything in Android which would make it better than Linux Maemo”. Interesting comments coming from a high level Nokia executive. If we assume his comments are accurate, then we may be seeing some Maemo powered handsets in the not so distant future. Such a move to Maemo is not completely surprising as Maemo...
With the rise of app-laden smartphones like the iPhone and Google's Android OS, now on T-Mobile's G1, many penny-pinching shoppers have downloaded barcode scanning applications onto their mobile devices. These apps allow consumers to compare the prices of merchandise on a store's shelf to competing stores in the area just by taking pictures with their smartphone's camera. The prices are instantly retrieved and displayed on the mobile phone so consumers can know before they buy if they're getting a good deal. Sponsor Although consumers may be catching on to this barcode-scanning trend, some stores are still in the dark. For...
At Nokia World in Barcelona the Finnish mobile phone makers unveiled their new take on their mapping solution for their handsets, with a raft of new additions. On the grid for this release are new web services, online planning, plus the ability to view landmarks in 3D! Folded up into this update is customisable mapping online from Ovi, allowing users to plan in advance their journey on a PC then export these details to their mobile. There’s also some new additions to the overall suite, with the likes 3D landmarks, for 216 cities, high res satellite images and night...
Provided you don’t live under a rock, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen the big announcement from Nokia World this morning. That’s right folks, the N97 is upon us - Nokia’s savior - the handset that will propel the Finnish giant back to a more comfortable seat at the top of the mobile world after the intense slide it has taken in 2008. Right? First things first; the inevitable comparisons with the iPhone. Ugh - when will it stop? Aside from the fact that both handsets have a touchscreen, they really have absolutely nothing else to do with...
After an extensive series of betas and intense testing for bugs, stability and security, BoxTone is ready to announce the general availability of its self-service BlackBerry app, myBoxTone Expert. MyBoxTone Expert can be considered a silent “guardian angel,” if you will, for your BlackBerry smartphone. The application runs in the background and will notify you of any problems with your device before they become serious issues. When myBoxTone Expert finds a problem, it will help you to resolve the issue with a clear, simple, step-by-step process that will allow practically any user to remedy the problem on his or...
