Mobile Technology
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BlackBerry's Bold smartphone
Research In Motion (RIM) has introduced the first BlackBerry smartphone to support tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks around the world and comes with integrated GPS and Wi-Fi, plus a next-generation 624 MHz mobile processor for downloading email attachments, streaming video or rendering web pages. The BlackBerry Bold also gets a newly designed full-QWERTY keyboard, with AZERTY and QWERTZ configurations to support different language groups also available, and a half-VGA (480x320 resolution) color LCD, which is fused to the undersurface of the lens, improving definition and clarity. (read more...)
More iMitation iPhone iClones
No-one is in any doubt about how hot the iPhone since its June 2007 birth. Fueling the hype on the basis that “imitation is the most sincere form of flattery” are a bunch of phones spied by Todd Robbins this week in Bangkok. (read more...)
HTC launches Touch Diamond mobile phone
May 9, 2008 Drawing immediate comparisons with Apple's iPhone, Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC has unveiled its new flagship product, the HTC Touch Diamond. The new handset is the latest addition to the company's product platform which began with the launch of the HTC Touch in June 2007 and boasts an array of innovative features led by a 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D and enhanced web-browsing capabilities that enable one-handed zoom and panning navigation plus automatic rotation from a portrait to landscape view when the device is turned on its side. Housed in an eye-catching brushed steel casing with faceted edges, the handset also sports a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, 4 GB internal memory, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi 802.11b/g and integrated GPS. (read more...)
Nokia's sleek new handset offerings
May 8, 2008 Nokia has unveiled three new mobile handsets - one folding and two sliding units - ahead of a planned release in the third quarter of 2008. With an emphasis on compact, minimalist design, the Nokia 6600 fold, the Nokia 6600 slide and the Nokia 3600 slide also boast some clever (if not completely ground-breaking) functionality aimed at making the phones easier to use. Putting the 6600 to "sleep" to reject incoming phone calls, for example, is achieved by tapping the cover of the twice and the same convenient process is used to "wake" the handset up again. The more distinctive charcoal and wine colored 3600 slide is also the first Nokia product to feature background noise cancellation. (read more...)
Phone charger incorporates automatic data back-up
Losing or having you mobile phone stolen without having the contacts and other important information it contains securely backed-up is a sure-fire way to give yourself one very big headache. Given the fact that some of us are a little lazy when it comes to this task, but all of us have to charge our phones, this innovation makes perfect sense. The aptly named "Data-backup mobile phone charger" automatically performs the task of backing-up your contacts whilst your phone is charging, and not only that, the multi-talented device also acts as a portable power supply in case you run out of juice away from mains power, as well as a SD/MMC card reader. (read more...)
Samsung's G800 high end photography camera phone
May 7, 2008 Some six months after its introduction in Europe, Samsung has launched the G800 mobile phone in Australia. An addition to its high end Photography Camera Phone range, the 5-megapixel G800 brings features common in most digital cameras into a mobile phone" target="_blank">mobile phone including Optical Inner Zoom, Xenon Flash, Power LED, Image Stabiliser, Red Eye Reduction, Panorama Shot as well as Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and Face Detection. (read more...)
The Smellophone
In terms of the human senses, (sight, sound, touch, smell and taste) we’ve already been able to synthesize pretty realistic visual, audio, and touch digitally, and we’ve previously written about research work in the taste area. Now a German syndicate has filed a patent for applications allowing users to send scents via cell phones, and expects the new capability will reach market less than two years from now with about 100 different prefabricated scents on the required chip. Not surprisingly, there are many applications for this technology, ranging from sweet smelling MMS greetings, to branded advertising samples for perfume manufacturers, to scent enhanced games for mobile phones and computers providing an additional sensory element for an outstanding gaming experience. (read more...)
Mobion Fuel Cell GPS
We’ve been writing about the coming of micro fuel cell technology to replace current lithium ion and similar rechargeable battery systems in hand-held electronic devices for a long time now, with prototype devices from Toshiba and MTI Micro being the most prevalent. While it’s been a long time in coming to market, fuel cell technology will almost certainly eventually prevail, so the showing of an embedded fuel cell prototype handheld GPS device at the 10th Annual International Small Fuel Cells Conference on the weekend is significant. Based on direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology, MTI Micro’s Mobion power packs promise an increase in run time (time until a recharge is needed) of between two to ten times over the status quo of existing battery technologies. (read more...)
TomTom unveils new car navigation products
May 5, 2008 Portable navigation solutions provider TomTom has announced their latest car navigation products – the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL which supersede the current TomTom ONE 3RD EDITION and TomTom ONE XL ranges. The new TomTom ONE comes with a 3.5 inch touch screen LCD, while the TomTom XL boasts a 4.3 inch widescreen LCD, for those who prefer a larger display. The new devices also come with a revised audio system and a completely redesigned body, including a folding mount. This new windshield mount, known as the EasyPort mount, can be left on the device and folded flat after use. The complete unit, including the mount, is then small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, bag or pocket when the driver leaves the vehicle. (read more...)
Tag Heuer's US$6200 Meridiist mobile phone handset
April 23, 2008 If your Swiss watch has been complaining that it doesn't want to be seen in public with your mobile phone any more, you could do worse than check out Tag Heuer's first foray into the handset market. The Meridiist will feature high-grade steel casings, unscratchable dual crystal displays and nearly a month of standby time. Naturally it looks very classy too, but at up to US$6200, without any mention of 3G connectivity, it could be more a piece of palm jewelery than a serious telephone. (read more...)
The Scroll: left-of-center hand-held electronics design
April 18, 2008 The last decade has seen a meteoric explosion in the shape, size and functionality of hand-held electronic devices with all sorts of innovations from sliding keyboards to touch screen interfaces thrown at the feet of the consumer. Proof that we haven't yet seen it all, The Scroll is a blue-sky design concept that takes a format used by medieval town criers, turns it sideways and shoe-horns it into the 21st century by incorporating a mobile phone, hand-held computer, camcorder and sliding LCD screen. (read more...)
AuthenTec launches new protective packaging for mobile fingerprint sensors
April 16, 2008 AuthenTec has announced a thin, durable, waterproof, and surface-mountable covering for its TruePrint biometric fingerprint sensors. Known as TouchStone, the thin casing triples the protective coating over the sensitive technology, shielding it from accidental scratching by coins, keys, pens and anything else you may find in your pocket. (read more...)
CSR demonstrates ultra low power Bluetooth
April 15, 2008 CSR has given the first public demonstration of its Ultra Low Power (ULP) Bluetooth silicon at the Continua Health Alliance medical conference in Luxembourg. The demonstrations showed that CSR’s ULP Bluetooth silicon consumes 10 times less power than standard Bluetooth when connectable. (read more...)
Zeemote wireless controller for mobile phones
April 9, 2008 The US$38 billion video gaming market thrives due to innovative input devices and one of the most interesting new additions is the Zeemote JS1 - a wireless controller that enables what the developers claim is near-console game play on mobile phones. Created by the team that developed the first force feedback joystick for PC gaming, the Zeemote controller fell into the hands of Dave Weinstein at CTIA and Dave reports the new phone peripheral is responsive, ergonomic and functional and just might help us past trying to game comfortably on a phone using controls designed for some other purpose. (read more...)
Shoot-to-Translate: killer mobile phone app for travelers
April 7, 2008 Nokia unveiled a plethora of mobile phone functionality concepts last October at The Way We Live Next briefing in Finland and tucked away behind the high profile apps was a simple shoot-to-translate function. Inveterate traveler Dave Weinstein dropped in at CTIA last week and reports that he focussed straight away on the cameraphone translator that can supposedly translate Chinese to English from a photo taken on the phone. “You can imagine how useful it would be for me, but it was just a technology demo. They wouldn't let me load the app on my phone or tell me any real info about it”, says Dave, who spends most of his time in Beijing these days. (read more...)
Momenta neck-worn PC - another Black Box Life Recorder
April 7, 2008 It seems inevitable that we’ll eventually all record our live digitally, and the Momenta neck-worn PC is the first viable design we’ve seen to facilitate such functionality. It’s similar in functionality to Microsoft’s ongoing Sensecam project we reported on a few years ago, as it is designed to capture the best and most exciting moments of your life. If you’ve ever thought, "I wish I had that on tape", when everybody is laughing themselves to tears, Momenta has already captured the previous five minutes in its rolling buffer and continues to record until you tell it to stop. Triggered by increased heart rate, it captures those hilarious or exciting moments that are usually lost forever. Two others we really like are the AlphaGrip HC (an ergonomic handheld) and a palette for digital artists. (read more...)
Dual-mode Satellite-Terrestrial HSPA PDA
April 7, 2008 Elektrobit (EB) showed a dual-mode satellite-terrestrial HSPA handset at CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas last week and it caused quite a bit of interest. It’s the first fully IP-based Quad-band GSM-satellite phone, has a touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard, integrated Bluetooth, WiFi, USB and GPS connectivity and is based on the Windows 6.1 mobile operating system. In the United States users will be able to seamlessly and securely connect via both the satellite and terrestrial components of the TerreStar network, which is the sole carrier at this stage. (read more...)
GO-Trust Inc. embeds smart card chips in SD memory modules
April 7, 2008 Security solutions provider GO-Trust Inc. has launched new technology that enables manufacturers and developers of smart cards and smart card based security solutions to offer their applications on any mobile device that accepts a SD standard, mini or micro memory card, without any modification of the mobile device. The company has developed IC’s, firmware and drivers that enable smart card manufacturers to embed their technology in SD memory chips and operate seamlessly on a wide range of mobile devices. This opens up users of mobile phones, PDAs, laptops, tablet PCs, mobile TVs, portable ultrasound units, digital cameras, digital camcorders, MP3/MP4 Players, digital picture frames, GPS, graphing calculators and the Wii Game System as potential users for chip based security solutions. (read more...)
MOBIVOX’s hands-free texting service
April 3, 2008 Another notable announcement from CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas is MOBIVOX’s "Send Message", a mobile phone service that automatically converts voice to e-mail and short messages (SMS). (read more...)
New Voicemail to Text service launched
April 2, 2008 The developers of Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition technology have announced Nuance Voicemail to Text, a voicemail transcription service that delivers high-quality readable messages to mobile devices at CTIA Wireless 2008. Offered through carriers, the service uses Nuance's speech recognition and transcription workflow solutions to convert voicemails left on any voicemail box into text. Transcribed messages are sent to users as SMS or email messages. (read more...)
Stock Trading Mobile Phone and Bluetooth Remote Wristwatch
Sharp’s 920SH mobile phone with its swiveling 3.2-inch VGA screen launched in October in Japan and is eagerly awaited everywhere else. Adding further to the anticipation are two new innovations launched this week. The first is the Kabu Keitai 920SH YK, a specialized black version that enables real-time portfolio checking and online trading. The other is a Citizen iVIRT-M watch that pairs to the 920SH via Bluetooth, so incoming calls, mail, and news are available without fishing out the phone. You can take, reject or divert calls from the watch, use it as a remote camera shutter, and with 1000 address book entries, the contact details of your caller will almost always be posted on the screen. (read more...)
Samsung’s MyShot and Spex phones - the first MetroPCS AWS handsets to hit the market
April 1, 2008 Samsung has announced the availability of the Samsung MyShot (SCH-r430) and Samsung Spex (SCH-r210) through MetroPCS - a wireless broadband personal communication service provider of no long-term contract, flat rate, unlimited usage basis phone plans in selected major metropolitan areas in the US. The MyShot and Spex are MetroPCS’s first phones to operate on the 1.7/2.1GHz CDMA Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, which promises current and future service providers the opportunity to provide wireless broadband services to millions of Americans, resulting in increased productivity, efficiency, mobility and security through larger bandwidth allocation. (read more...)
CSR's MusiCore1 combines audio processor and Bluetooth on a single chip
CSR has announced MusiCore1, the first fully featured single-chip for mobile phones that includes both a stereo audio processor and Bluetooth capabilities – saving 75% of the cost of an audio processor, and 36mm squared of space. MusiCore1 allows 100 hours of music playback, and can decode MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA and SBC files. (read more...)
SlideIt and ThumbKey models offer accelerated typing on PDAs and smartphones
Dasur’s line of keyboards for touch screen PDAs and smartphones yields potential typing speeds of up to 50 words per minute – matching the average speed of a professional typist. The SlideIt keyboard for stylus users and the ThumbKey model for hand typing both support all versions of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. (read more...)
Solar charging PMP charges other portable devices
March 29, 2008 InventorSpot have reviewed eMotion’s new portable media player which is charged by solar panels built into the back of the device. The EM-SOL1GIG not only charges itself from the Sun, but with the use of a charger adapter the EM-SOL1GIG can be used to charge other portable devices such as mobile phones, MP3/MP4 players, laptops, digital cameras and other portable Lithium battery devices. The device supports a maximum SD card size of 2GB and files can be transferred on and off using the built-in SD card reader. The EM-SOL1GIG also comes with a long list of media capabilities including the ability to play music and video, display photos and books and play games – albeit on a 320x240 screen. (read more...)
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