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Mobile Technology
TRAX Series portable car navigation systems offer 360 degree, 3D view
By Darren Quick
19:37 May 26, 2008 PDT
May 27, 2008 Uniden's new TRAX Series GPS units feature 360 Degree 3D "Landmark Technology" which shows key landmarks in 3D from any angle including a ‘fly around’ 360 degree mode. In major metropolitan areas elevated city maps, contours and rises on the road are also represented in 3D from any angle. The TRAX Series also include Text to Speech with Spoken Street Names and, as with Uniden’s previous releases, some models also include integrated Bluetooth capabilities to deliver hands-free mobile phone communication via the unit. The high definition, LCD touch screens are non-reflective for easier viewing and there is also an automatic day/night mode. Read More
SanDisk's new line of premium mobile phone memory cards
By Darren Quick
01:12 May 23, 2008 PDT
May 23, 2008 Using mobile phones for multimedia activities has increased as phones have crammed more and more multimedia capabilities into their ever shrinking housings. SanDisk’s new Mobile Ultra microSD/microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) flash mobile memory cards, aim to meet the storage and speed requirements of digital photography, music downloads, videos, and GPS functionality that have become standard on such devices. Read More
3G iPhone to be available June 9
By Mike Hanlon
15:46 May 21, 2008 PDT
Tried to buy an iPhone recently? If you have, you’ve probably found it very difficult to get hold of one as stocks appear to have been depleted to zero. That was the first sign that the rumours of an impending launch of Apple’s next generation 3G iPhone were not just accurate but very close. Gizmodo today claims to have confirmed that the new 3G model will be announced at the WWDC Keynote on June 9 and immediately available in countries with current official availability! Whatsmore the new model will also herald new sales policies in some countries. Italy's Jack magazine has the first image of the 3G phone. Read More
More iMitation iPhone iClones
By Gizmag Team
08:06 May 13, 2008 PDT
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
BlackBerry's Bold smartphone
By Darren Quick
18:53 May 12, 2008 PDT
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
HTC launches Touch Diamond mobile phone
22:08 May 8, 2008 PDT
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
19:51 May 7, 2008 PDT
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
01:26 May 7, 2008 PDT
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
By Darren Quick
00:41 May 7, 2008 PDT
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
By Mike Hanlon
01:06 May 6, 2008 PDT
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
TomTom unveils new car navigation products
By Darren Quick
04:16 May 5, 2008 PDT
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
Mobion Fuel Cell GPS
By Mike Hanlon
04:02 May 5, 2008 PDT
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
Tag Heuer's US$6200 Meridiist mobile phone handset
By Loz Blain
00:53 April 23, 2008 PDT
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
22:59 April 17, 2008 PDT
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
By Kyle Sherer
18:08 April 15, 2008 PDT
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
By Darren Quick
00:21 April 15, 2008 PDT
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
By Mike Hanlon
15:37 April 8, 2008 PDT
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
By Mike Hanlon
22:34 April 6, 2008 PDT
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
By Mike Hanlon
19:26 April 6, 2008 PDT
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
GO-Trust Inc. embeds smart card chips in SD memory modules
By Darren Quick
18:09 April 6, 2008 PDT
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
Dual-mode Satellite-Terrestrial HSPA PDA
By Mike Hanlon
17:51 April 6, 2008 PDT
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
MOBIVOX’s hands-free texting service
18:12 April 2, 2008 PDT
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
By Mike Hanlon
00:31 April 2, 2008 PDT
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
Samsung’s MyShot and Spex phones - the first MetroPCS AWS handsets to hit the market
By Darren Quick
21:57 March 31, 2008 PDT
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
Stock Trading Mobile Phone and Bluetooth Remote Wristwatch
By Mike Hanlon
21:32 March 31, 2008 PDT
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
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
