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Mobile Technology
EU caps roaming tariffs to prevent 'bill shock'
05:45 July 2, 2009 PDT
It's been a busy week in Brussels. Following the unbelievably sensible move to standardize mobile phone chargers, the European Union has now made calls, texts and receiving emails on your mobile phone 60% cheaper. Sending sending a text message from abroad in the EU now costs a maximum €0.11 (down from an average of €0.28), roaming calls are capped at €0.43 per minute and receiving a call costs no more than €0.19. There's also a wholesale cap of €1 per megabyte for downloads. Read More
HTC Magic review
By Gizmag Team
03:15 July 2, 2009 PDT
The first Android-powered phone to market, the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), was an awkward device with its main appeal derived from the fact it was Android-powered. The HTC Magic is the second Android device to reach consumers, and in terms of hardware, it’s largely the same as its predecessor. The key difference is the move from a slide out, physical QWERTY keyboard to an iPhone-style on-screen keyboard. If you have your doubts as to whether this is enough to make the Magic an attractive device in an iPhone-crazed world, you might be surprised after reading Tim Hanlon's review of the HTC Magic over at The Mobiler. Read More
THINERGY battery packs a little power in a littler package
By Alan Brandon
01:27 July 1, 2009 PDT
The new line of THINERGY Micro-Energy Cells from Infinite Power Solutions Inc (IPS) could soon be powering small devices such as autonomous wireless sensors, powered smart cards, active RFID applications, and implantable medical devices. The manufacturer says these tiny, rechargeable, thin-film batteries combine the energy density of traditional batteries with the high discharge current of supercapacitors. With some models measuring just 0.5 inches square (12.7mm) and less than 0.01 inches thick (0.17mm), IPS claims these are the most powerful batteries for their size. Read More
Mobile makers agree on standard micro-USB charger for Europe
01:18 June 30, 2009 PDT
Are your cupboards full of old phone chargers? They seem to accumulate with every new mobile, and are rarely useful again. Hoping to change this wasteful scenario, the European Union have proposed – and ten leading manufacturers agreed to – a new standard that will see micro-USB charging devices used for all data-enabled mobile phones. The hope is that, within three to four years, mobiles and chargers will be sold separately in Europe, and they’ll all be compatible. Read More
GameBone Pro game controller for iPhone
By Darren Quick
20:28 June 29, 2009 PDT
With the ever-increasing number of games available for the iPhone and iPod Touch through the App Store it seems many users find the Apple devices an acceptable gaming platform. One of the major downsides for gamers though is the lack of any real physical buttons. 22Moo is looking to provide mobile gamers with a solution in the form of the GameBone Pro, an OS 3.0 compatible, 8-way D-pad, 6 button game controller that connects to an iPhone or iPod Touch via Bluetooth or Apple’s 30-pin dock connector. Read More
Stop squinting - MiLi Pro gives iPhones the big picture treatment
By Darren Quick
06:31 June 29, 2009 PDT
The increasing popularity of mobile phones as complete multimedia devices has been hampered by one obvious problem – screen size. That problem has seen the development of different projectors and projection technologies eager to provide the solution. The latest to enter the fray is the Mili Pro - a stylish unit from mobile phone accessory developer PhoneSuit that is designed to give the big picture treatment to Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. Read More
Dell's Wasabi inkless portable printer
By Darren Quick
21:08 June 28, 2009 PDT
Dell has released a photo printer that uses the same Zero-ink technology found in the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer and PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Dell’s Wasabi PZ310 Ultramobile Photo Printer holds up to 12 sheets of adhesive-backed ZINK Paper, and can connect to a digital camera via PictBridge or wirelessly to a camera phone or computer via Bluetooth. Read More
Mini OLED projector prototype for mobile phones
By Darren Quick
03:42 June 26, 2009 PDT
A new mini projector prototype could see mobile phone users hosting impromptu movie screenings on makeshift screens such as white towels or walls... without killing the battery. Unlike conventional projectors the prototype doesn’t need an additional illumination system. Instead it relies on a lens system to project images produced by an OLED onto a wall or other flat surface. Read More
Motorola claims first 'true' bone conduction headset with Endeavor HX1
By Karen Sprey
21:13 June 25, 2009 PDT
Motorola has unveiled the Endeavor HX1, a Bluetooth headset which uses a combination of CrystalTalk noise cancellation technology and bone conduction technology dubbed ‘stealth mode’, enabling users to hear and be heard in noisy environments such as concerts or driving in a convertible. The company claims it is the only Bluetooth headset to use true bone conduction technology, a broadside that is surely aimed at competitor Jawbone whose headsets use a sensor that sits against the outside of the face as opposed to the in-ear setup of the HX-1. Read More
Homer Simpson tells you where to go
By Darren Quick
21:10 June 23, 2009 PDT
While the Knight Rider GPS by Mio lets drivers live out their boyhood fantasies, it may also bring on a slight superiority complex thanks to the refined tones of William Daniels. TomTom users won’t have that problem now that iconic cartoon everyman Homer Simpson is onboard to guide them to the nearest bar or donut shop. Read More
Dyson energy bracelet a good call
By Paul Best
20:45 June 22, 2009 PDT
How many times has your cell phone run out of juice in the middle of an important call? Too many. A team of designers, however, thinks it may have come up with a way of generating enough electricity to jolt your cell phone’s dead battery back to life to finish that all-important call – an energy bracelet that uses body heat and ambient temperature. Read More
National Geographic dual SIM phone makes great travel companion
22:47 June 18, 2009 PDT
National Geographic’s new Duet Travel Phone is the ideal traveling companion: a dual SIM card mobile that lets you have two numbers in a single phone. So, no matter where you go in the world, you can always keep your own number while also having a low-cost one available for local use. Read More
World’s first portable Blu-ray player claims a second first
By Darren Quick
03:16 June 17, 2009 PDT
The Panasonic DMP-B15, the world’s first portable Blu-ray player that first caught our interest at CES 2009, can lay claim to another first. It is also the world’s first Blu-ray player with DivX Certification. DivX compression technology enables over six hours of high-quality DivX video to fit on just one DVD without sacrificing visual quality. So even if your Blu-ray library is a little undersized, you might have to go for the optional 6-hour battery over the standard issue 3-hour job to make the most of your programming options. Read More
Today on The Mobiler - The augmented reality browser for Android
By Tim Hanlon
00:58 June 17, 2009 PDT
Today on The Mobiler we've looked at an augmented reality browser for Android called Layar, Kingston's 128GB DataTraveler 200 USB Flash drive, the Dev-Team being ready to release a jailbreak for iPhone OS 3.0, TweetDeck for the iPhone, IBM launching a real-time Wimbledon application for Android, how to tether a Palm Pre, Optus Australia's leaked pricing for the iPhone 3G S, and an updated Google Maps for Android. Read More
Recently on The Mobiler - Nokia E71 review
By Tim Hanlon
23:20 June 15, 2009 PDT
If you haven't checked out The Mobiler recently you might've missed Samsung's TouchWiz 2.0-powered Jet, the IRS planning to tax employees for their business phones, Nokia working on the ability to charge phones using ambient electromagnetic radiation, Samsung's inexpensive Crest Solar E1107 for emerging markets, and our review of the Nokia E71. Read More
Land Rover mobile phone on standby for toughest off-road assignments
23:00 June 15, 2009 PDT
Sonim Technologies already has a reputation for producing near-indestructible mobile phones but now, in partnership with Land Rover, they’ve gone one better. The Land Rover S1 is the world’s first IP-67 rated GSM mobile, a standard which means it has tested as totally impervious to dust and is waterproof to a depth of one meter. The S1 can also withstand dirt, shocks, drops and up to 400kgs of pressure. Read More
Samsung jet - smartphone or not?
By Darren Quick
22:57 June 15, 2009 PDT
Samsung is touting the new Jet as “smarter than a smartphone”. Not sure how “smartness” is measured, but the claim probably stems from the beefy 800MHz processor powering the phone. However, opting for Samsung’s own TouchWiz 2.0 platform instead of a traditional smartphone operating system means the phone is more likely to fill a niche between feature phones and smartphones. Read More
Portable keyboard will flip you out
By Darren Quick
01:42 June 11, 2009 PDT
Like it or loathe it, the keyboard still reigns supreme as the king of computer input devices. With the netbooks of today manufacturers are faced with striking a balance between size and functionality. Some go for the full-sized keyboard that sacrifices some keys, while others simply opt for smaller keyboards. Neither solution suits everybody though, which is where portable keyboards like the EK-76-TP come in. But it's not just extra keys that set this unit apart - it's the surprising location of the trackpad. Read More
Recently on The Mobiler
By Tim Hanlon
20:06 June 9, 2009 PDT
Recently on The Mobiler we've looked at the iPhone 3G S vs the Palm Pre, the Nokia N97 going on sale in the U.S., the MoGo Talk Bluetooth headset for the iPhone, AT&T's plan to offer tethering for iPhone OS 3.0, Qik coming pre-installed on the Nokia N97, a Wi-Fi hotspot for the Volkswagen Routan, a roundup of Opera Mobile 9.7 reviews, Postino for the iPhone turning pictures into postcards, the Fujitsu F-09A touchscreen, a security breach at T-Mobile, and Verizon's "COLT" portable cell site. Read More
LG shows off its new Prada phone with matching Bluetooth watch
By Darren Quick
22:50 June 8, 2009 PDT
Two and a half years after it released its first Prada phone, Korean electronics giant LG has revealed a successor. While it's a long time in the world of mobile phones, the updated LG-KF900 Prada phone does include a range of features not found on its predecessor, while retaining the same slick minimalist styling and touchscreen. LG has simplified accessorizing the Prada phone with the availability of the Prada Link, a Bluetooth digital watch that can remotely monitor phone calls as well as read SMS text messages. Read More
Apple’s new iPhone 3G S – 2x faster, 32GB, 3MP camera and video
By Mike Hanlon
14:28 June 8, 2009 PDT
Apple finally delivered the new iPhone 3G S today, with more power, speed, battery life, and a 32GB flagship model. Major features include a 3mp camera, video recording and hands free voice control. There’s also the iPhone OS 3.0 operating system with 100+ new features including cut and paste, MMS, “Spotlight Search”, and a landscape keyboard. The entry level price for the existing 8 GB 3G model dropped to USD$99, with the 3G S 16GB model coming in at $200 and the 32GB model at $300 . Read More
BudTrap – a $5 killer product with ridiculously complex distribution
By Mike Hanlon
02:14 June 8, 2009 PDT
Okay, hands up all those who spend too much time each day untangling the earbuds on their portable media devices? More than 200 million such portable media players are sold globally each year with numbers increasing, so it makes sense that there are a lot of man-hours being lost untangling earbuds. Now a simple and ingenious USD$5 device, named BudTrap, can save you those precious few minutes each day that you’ll never get back. There is, however, a catch … Read More
Belkin TuneCast Auto Live FM Transmitter uses iPhone’s GPS capabilities
By Darren Quick
02:29 June 5, 2009 PDT
Belkin has announced the TuneCast Auto Live, a new FM transmitter for the iPhone that is one of the first devices to take advantage of OS 3.0’s support for third party peripherals. The TuneCast Auto Live acts in conjunction with Belkin’s ClearScan Live software application to display the FM frequency and TuneCast controls on the iPhone’s screen, as well as utilizing the GPS capabilities of the iPhone to identify the clearest FM frequencies, based on geographical data as well as results from other TuneCast Auto users in the same area. Read More
LG to launch 3G watch phone in July
By Darren Quick
01:01 June 5, 2009 PDT
LG’s wristwatch videophone that first piqued our interest when it appeared at CES 2009 has been given a release date. Dick Tracy wannabes will be able to live out their fantasies when the LG-GD910 Touch Watch Phone goes on sale from July. The GD-910 will initially be exclusively available through Orange UK and Carphone Warehouse before hitting Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and Latin America. There’s no announcement as to whether a yellow coat and fedora will be included with the Touch Watch Phone. Read More
Today on The Mobiler - The CrunchPad nears completion
By Tim Hanlon
05:00 June 4, 2009 PDT
Things aren't slowing down over at our mobile blog The Mobiler, with news of Mike Arrington's CrunchPad tablet nearing completion, a (French) review of a pre-production Nokia N97, cell phone use being linked to cubital tunnel syndrome, RIM patching a BlackBerry PDF vulnerability, INQ planning a Twitter phone, BenQ's latest 12-inch Joybook, Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset getting bumped to 1.3GHz and the Sony W995a getting a price and release date. Read More
Robert Ferry
- July 3, 2009 @ 15:42 UTC
