Mobile Technology

14:30 November 7, 2007 PST

November 8, 2007 Adding to a growing selection of solar powered satchelsand backpacks on the market, Office Depot has announced the availability of a line of Voltaic solar charging bags that feature three lightweight, waterproof solar panels generating up to four watts of power - enough energy to charge nearly any handheld electronic device. Read More

Multi-national alliance announces open platform for mobile devices

23:53 November 5, 2007 PST

Open platform for mobile devices (Pictured: T-Mobile Sidekick)

November 6, 2007 Some of the technology world’s biggest names have joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Android holds the promise of unprecedented benefits for consumers, developers and manufacturers of mobile services and devices by providing developers with a new level of openness that enables them to work more collaboratively and accelerate the pace at which new and compelling mobile services are made available to consumers. Read More

Airbox CM3 delivers the Internet on wheels

20:19 November 4, 2007 PST

November 5, 2007 WAAV has announced the AirBox CM3, a mobile broadband cellular router engineered to maintain a broadband speed connection on the go by turning any vehicle into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. The ruggedized mobile router provides an "always on" 3G link that allows multiple devices such as PDA's, laptops and gaming consoles to be connected simultaneously. Read More

Videotex SIM Card Backup Device with LCD display

20:01 November 1, 2007 PDT

November 2, 2007 Anyone who has ever lost or had stolen their mobile phone will appreciate the utter chaos this can cause. As as our reliance on the information stored in mobile devices grows, so does the need to ensure that the data on your SIM card is securely backed-up. The Videotex SIM Card Backup Device 801A offers a sensible solution in the form of a pocket-sized (3.3 x 2 x 0.5 inch) unit with an LCD screen for displaying up to 1000 contact details and the ability to restore data quickly to your replacement SIM card. Read More

Fully gold-plated iPhone

19:52 October 31, 2007 PDT

Gold plated iPhone - back view
Image: Goldstriker International

November 1, 2007 Given the record sales figures, you could be forgiven for thinking that your iPhone isn’t quite the stand-out showpiece it once was. If you're aiming for a little extra exclusivity this fully gold plated Apple iPhone from UK based Goldstriker International could be the answer. Read More

T-Mobile "Shadow" aims to simplify mobile communication

17:56 October 29, 2007 PDT

October 30, 2007 U.S. telco provider T-Mobile has released the first in a new line of phones designed to provide a playful, easier and richer way to stay in touch with family and friends. In a market that is increasingly flooded with ever more complicated multi-functional devices it is refreshing to see a phone that strives for simplicity at its core. Read More

Sanyo's Gorilla: combined portable car navigation system and digital television

18:22 October 25, 2007 PDT

October 26, 2007 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. is set to roll-out a new widescreen digital car navigation device that doubles as a portable digital television for use almost anywhere. Read More

iPhone discounts put early adopters offside

23:22 October 23, 2007 PDT

October 24, 2007 Did Apple upset its biggest fans in delivering a significant discount on the iPhone so soon after its record breaking launch? If you forked-out $600 for the sought after device in the first days after the release only to find the price dropped by a third just two-months later your answer might well be yes. But is it simply a question of dollars, or is there something a little deeper at work here - Gene Heratori at Connectthru.com delves deeper into this question with an interesting discussion on the issue of what makes an early adopter tick. Read More

Pantech unveil bone conduction mobile phone handset

21:59 October 21, 2007 PDT

Pantech-au A1407PT bone-conduction phone

October 22, 2007 Korean handset manufacturer Pantech have unveiled a bone conduction mobile phone that transmits sound to the inner ear using vibration. Not only does the ongoing emergence of bone conduction technology represent a solution for using phones in noisy environments, but it’s also a boon for the elderly or those suffering hearing loss for whom the use of conventional speaker phones is problematic. Read More

Nokia adds N810 Internet tablet to Nseries range

21:05 October 18, 2007 PDT

October 19, 2007 Nokia has introduced the latest addition to their Nseries - the new N810 Internet Tablet - at the the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. The pocket-sized, GPS enabled device allows users to connect to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot or over their Bluetooth mobile phone to make internet calls; check email; watch videos on YouTube or update a blog using the device's slide-out keyboard and 4.13", 800x480 resolution touch screen. Read More

WildCharge releases wireless charging pad for Motorola RAZR phones

19:40 October 17, 2007 PDT

October 18, 2007 The idea of wireless charging is an attractive one - do away with messy cords and chargers in favor of a wire free charging pad that does the job for multiple devices by simply placing it on the pad's surface. The concept has been around for several years, but commercialization has been slow. Now WildCharge is offering a wireless charging system for Motorola RAZR phones with an adapter for iPod Nano just around the corner. Read More

Solar GPS unit tracks your travel experience

02:52 October 16, 2007 PDT

October 16, 2007 Here's a clever device for those who return home from holidays with gigabytes of photographs but no idea exactly where they were taken. The dual-powered Super 99 GPS "travel recorder" features the ability to log up to 200,000 waypoints on your journey and supports Geo Tagging of photos along with the ability to share your location with friends via Google Earth. The built-in solar panel also enables the device to operate for up to 48 hours when enough sunlight is available. Read More

Toshiba's fuel cell powered portable media player

04:29 October 10, 2007 PDT

Toshiba's fuel cell powered portable media player

October 10, 2007 Toshiba demonstrated their latest Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) technology at CEATEC Japan 2007 with the unveiling of a prototype version of the methanol powered Gigabeat multimedia player. Building on Toshiba’s previous offerings the new player can run for up to 10 hours on 10 milliliters of methanol, longer than would be possible using a similarly sized conventional battery. The prototype integrates the fuel cell power plant into the back of the player - which runs on nearly 100% methanol - and discharges the vapor created through natural evaporation. Besides playing music and video, the player is equipped with a TV-tuner and features a capacity meter for tracking the amount of fuel you've got left. Read More

Motorola/Boost super thin candy-bar phone

18:32 October 9, 2007 PDT

October 10, 2007 Mobile service provider Boost has added Motorola i425t and i425e handsets – billed as the slimmest iDEN network Walkie-Talkie phones ever – to its self-branded cell phone offering. The 1/2" thick, 3.88 oz handsets are a “candy-bar design”, but if this is your idea of a candy-bar you might well go hungry. Read More

Sharp shows the future of touch screens for micro devices

By Mike Hanlon

17:32 October 2, 2007 PDT

Sharp shows the future of touch screens for micro devices

October 3, 2007 Sharp yesterday began publicly demonstrating a new technology that could have far reaching effects on the way we interact with the mounting tide of mobile information available to us through diminutive devices such as smart phones, PDAs, cameras and UMPCs – the marriage of sensing function with an LCD screen is not new, but Sharp’s technology puts an optical sensor into each pixel enabling the screen to become a multiple touch-point screen and a scanner. Read More

GPS device provides continuous tracking from origination to destination

18:39 October 1, 2007 PDT

October 2, 2007 Real-time GPS tracking device and service provider Anytrack has announced two new products for both business and consumer markets designed to keep track of everything from important cargo to vehicles, pets... even grandpa. Read More

T-Mobile's two new Sidekicks

By Kyle Sherer

18:05 September 30, 2007 PDT

October 1, 2007 T-Mobile has unveiled two new additions to its Sidekick line; the Sidekick LX and the Sidekick Slide. Designed by Sharp, the new Sidekick LX retains its distinctive swivel display but features a thinner profile and larger screen than its predecessor. Read More

BlackBerry 8320 bridges the gap between home phone and mobile

By Loz Blain

01:40 September 28, 2007 PDT

September 28, 2007 Mobile phones are increasingly taking over as the primary contact number for many people, with home landlines hanging on largely by virtue of cheap local call rates. Aiming to offer the "best of both worlds" in one package, the new BlackBerry Curve 8320 is WiFi enabled, meaning that it can seamlessly switch between mobile calls and unlimited local and long-distance calls in the presence of your home wireless network. Read More

Talking convergence: Nokia 6301 UMA phone

21:15 September 23, 2007 PDT

Talking convergence: Nokia 6301 UMA phone

September 24, 2007 Nokia are looking to a not too distant future where home and office landline based phones are obsolete with the release of the 6301 UMA phone. The stainless steel 6301 enables voice and data mobility across GSM cellular and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) networks via Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology. This allows the phone to integrate the benefits of landline and a mobile phone by providing seamless indoor coverage, sound quality and affordability. Read More

IEye concept aims to increase Personal Media Player functionality

20:14 September 20, 2007 PDT

IEye concept aims to increase Personal Media Player functionality

September 21, 2007 Out with the old and in with the new. That’s the standard approach to keeping pace with rapid developments in consumer electronics. But what if there was a way to delay obsolescence and extend the functionality of devices instead of automatically relegating them to landfill. This is the idea behind the IEye concept by Thomas Miller. Presented as an entry in to the “Create the Future Contest”, the concept proposes extending the life of Personal Media Players by attaching an add on device that includes a video still camera and microphone to boost functionality and re-purpose the existing unit. Read More

"Always-on" mobile Internet device sales to reach 95 million by 2012

19:18 September 18, 2007 PDT

September 19, 2007 Sales of a new class of “always-on”, Internet-connected products categorized as “Ultra-Mobile Devices” (UMDs) will reach somewhere in the realm of 95 million units by 2012 according to a new report from ABI Research. The report covers a range of emerging devices that will vary in form and functionality, with established manufacturers such as Nokia and Apple clearly standing to benefit from this next boom. Read More

Mainnav pairs GPS and Bluetooth in a watch

00:05 September 17, 2007 PDT

MW-705 BT GPS watch - Click image to enlarge

September 17, 2007 Mainnav has released the Innovator MW-705 BT GPS watch - a timepiece that teams inbuilt Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality with a Bluetooth transmitter and also manages to pack-in a heart rate monitor, speed and distance sensor, temperature sensor, pedometer as well as the standard countdown timer and alarm. Read More

Dual-SIM mobile eliminates the need to carry two phones

By Loz Blain

05:08 September 11, 2007 PDT

September 11, 2007 Plenty of people these days have multiple SIM cards for their mobile phones; business and personal, personal and VERY personal, different SIM cards for better rates at night, or in foreign countries. Matsunichi’s D620 is among a small number of mobile phones coming out that can handle two SIM cards at once – meaning you can choose which number you dial out from, and receive calls to both numbers. Read More

Sansa View video enabled MP3 player from SanDisk