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Mobile Phone
iPhone 3GS Supreme – the 3 million dollar mobile phone
By Darren Quick
18:05 November 26, 2009 PST
Goldstriker International, a company which specializes in dipping mobile phones in gold and platinum, appears to have snatched the title of world’s most expensive mobile phone from the iPhone 3G King’s Button with the creation of the iPhone 3GS Supreme. Priced at £1.92 million (approx. US$3.14 million) this is one phone you definitely wouldn’t want to leave on a bus. Read More
Something for everyone with NTT DoCoMo's new mobile phones
By Darren Quick
21:50 November 16, 2009 PST
Japan’s biggest mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo, has unveiled a raft of new phones – 19 in all – along with a 3G-capable digital photo frame. The new lineup includes the waterproof F-02B (complete with snap-on perfume holder), four models packing a 12.2-megapixel camera and the world’s first phone with a separable two-module body. Read More
Nissan licenses self-healing paint for mobile phones
By Mike Hanlon
14:33 November 11, 2009 PST
Self-healing paint has been with us on automobiles since Nissan released its “Scratch Shield” in 2005. Scratch Guard is a highly elastic resin that self-heals fine scratches and is capable of restoring the vehicle’s paint surfaces overnight or up to a week’s time in more severe cases. Now Japan’s major Telco, NTT DoCoMo, has announced it will license Scratch Shield for use on mobile phones as a value-add feature for Japanese customers. Read More
The Tag Heuer Lamborghini phone handset
By Paul Lester
18:27 November 5, 2009 PST
If you're looking for value for money, a sports car-inspired designer mobile phone probably isn't the best place to start. Based on its Meridiist handset, Tag Heuer's latest model is inspired by the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640. We’ve no problem with admitting that it looks the business, but as is strangely typical of these sorts of overpriced phones, it seems to be seriously lacking on the practicality front. Read More
Toshiba announces new sensitive 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor
By Paul Ridden
18:12 October 30, 2009 PDT
Toshiba has announced a 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor for mobile phones and digital cameras which it says will boost light sensitivity and absorption by up to 40 percent. Whereas conventional sensors have multi-layer wiring sandwiched between the lenses and light receiving substrate, Toshiba has moved the wiring out of the way and placed the lenses and the photodiodes together. Read More
Google announces free turn-by-turn maps app for Android - looks the goods
By Darren Quick
01:37 October 29, 2009 PDT
Every platform needs a killer app and for the Android OS the early contender for that title has to be the just announced Google Maps Navigation for mobile. Only available for Android 2.0 phones, the new application takes the current Google Maps for mobile and gives it a hefty shot of steroids. Most of the new features that set the app apart from most in-car turn-by-turn navigation systems come courtesy of its Internet connectivity, which makes it possible to access a wealth of relevant information residing on Google’s servers while out and about. Read More
Wildcharge review - is wireless power worth it?
By Paul Lester
20:29 October 25, 2009 PDT
It seems strange to think that in today’s age of ever advancing technology, it’s been over 100 years since Nikola Tesla began developing theories for wireless power, and though researchers at MIT have picked up the baton in recent times, we’re still waiting for an efficient, mass-market way to abolish reams of unsightly cables from our homes. The Powermat, demonstrated at CES 2009, is one product that threatens to kick-start this revolution. Another early mover in the market is WildCharge and we've been testing one of these devices to find out first hand what all the fuss is about. Read More
Kempler & Strauss W Phonewatch
By Paul Ridden
14:35 October 12, 2009 PDT
Being able to hold a conversation on a wrist-bound communicator has been a staple of popular fiction for many a year, but real world offerings have so far been a bit of a hit and miss affair. Things recently improved with devices from LG and Samsung but they're somewhat expensive solutions. Now Kempler & Strauss has launched the quad-band W Phonewatch which threatens to shake things up a bit. Offering similar functionality to its competitors at a fraction of the cost, the W also comes with its own Bluetooth headset that doubles as a stylus and MP3 control. Read More
Kingston releases MobileLite Flash card reader, reloaded
03:24 October 10, 2009 PDT
Kingston recently released MobileLiteG2, the second generation of its portable Flash card reader. The 18.9g plug-and-play unit shows up as two separate devices on your system to make it easier to transfer data between Flash memory cards using only one USB port. Read More
Fujitsu announces winners of Mobile Phone design competition
By Paul Ridden
03:04 October 7, 2009 PDT
In May of this year, Fujitsu called on the imagination of the public to help the company come up with some mobile designs for the future. Offering budding designers the choice of being realistically practical or wildly imaginative, the company received around 2000 entries over the Summer and has just announced the winners at the CEATEC technology trade show in Japan. Read More
EcoATM pays you for your used mobile phone
By Jude Garvey
17:38 October 6, 2009 PDT
Even though many people are aware of the importance of recycling their mobile phones, it is reported that only about ten percent of used phones actually make it into a recycling program. Would people be more diligent with mobile phone recycling if it was not only convenient, but lucrative as well? An EcoATM machine currently being trialed in Nebraska, accepts your used mobile, scans it to assess its market value and rewards you with a retail coupon or gift card. Read More
La Montre Verte: people-based environment monitoring
By Paul Ridden
14:43 October 6, 2009 PDT
A wrist-bound sensor that gathers information about pollution as the wearer walks about town was a surprise hit with visitors at a conservation festival in Amsterdam last month. La Montre Verte (The Green Watch) follows the example of similar projects in London, New York and San Francisco and puts ozone and noise pollution detection in, or rather on, the hands of citizens. Read More
Flash 10.1 coming to Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, BlackBerry, Android and Symbian
By Darren Quick
21:36 October 5, 2009 PDT
Adobe claims that Flash content is present on more than 85 percent of the top 100 websites, and that approximately 75 percent of all web-based videos use Flash. In good news for the growing numbers of people accessing the Internet on their mobile phones, Adobe has unveiled its Flash Player 10.1: Full Flash software to bring an integrated Flash experience to browsers on Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, WebOS and Windows Mobile smartphones – but not iPhone. Read More
Helix looking to use mobile phone towers for wind energy generation
By Paul Ridden
02:03 October 3, 2009 PDT
Later this month, Helix Wind Corporation will deliver its first test wind turbines to Eltek Network Solutions Group for installation at two test sites in Nigeria. Sites in the US are also set to take delivery of test modules. The turbines will provide a clean energy solution for mobile phone towers and if tests prove successful, could see wind power being rolled out to hundreds of sites over the next few years. Read More
SurroundSense uses your phone's sensors to figure out where you are
17:02 September 30, 2009 PDT
Smartphones use GPS locating for a variety of functions but mainly they're used on the road where their accuracy - only within 10m - is basically a case of 'near enough is good enough'. But try using one indoors. They don't work! Nor can they distinguish between two adjacent environments, however different. And 10m can make a big difference inside a shopping complex or multi-roomed office block. In a research jointly sponsored by Microsoft, Nokia, Verizon and the National Science Foundation, a group of computer engineers from Duke University is working on achieving better indoor localization using a combination of sounds, lighting and accelerometer data picked up by a mobile phone. They hope it will supplement the use of GPS systems, which most users know, have their limitations. Read More
Sony's MH907 earphones automatically pause music to answer the phone
By Paul Ridden
06:14 September 23, 2009 PDT
Most mobile phones these days also feature MP3 players, allowing you to listen to your favorite music in-between calls. With Sony Ericsson's new MH907 earbuds attached to your compatible phone, all you need do to pause the music and take a call is remove them from your ears. Put one of the buds back in your ear and start your conversation. Remove again to end the conversation, then replace both buds to start the music again. No more buttons to press, simple. Read More
Pong iPhone case cuts mobile phone radiation
By Jude Garvey
17:26 September 20, 2009 PDT
Pong Research Company has released a new cell phone case that promises to reduce radiation from the phone’s antenna. The Pong iPhone case covers the cell phone in a tight silicone skin. This skin contains a proprietary technology module that is aligned with the phone’s antenna and attracts the radiative energy up and away from the user’s head. The user will still maintain a full-strength signal without compromising the cell phone’s battery life or functionality. Read More
OpenRide mobile service organizes carpooling on-the-fly
16:47 September 14, 2009 PDT
Despite energy costs rising steadily, it's still very common to see people driving their cars alone, particularly in big cities. The OpenRide mobile service recently presented at the IFA exhibit in Berlin is a simple but effective idea that aims to save money while reducing our carbon footprint by providing an open infrastructure for organizing carpooling in a quick and convenient way. Read More
Sony Ericsson’s PS3 Remote Play-ready Aino mobile phone
By Darren Quick
03:47 September 12, 2009 PDT
Sony Ericsson’s new Aino mobile phone lets users access media content on their PS3 via Wi-Fi or over the Internet with a feature called Remote Play. PSP owners may already be familiar with this feature, which allows users to remotely access their PS3’s XMB interface and play music, videos and photos stored on the console. Although the PSP is also capable of playing (a few) games using Remote Play, the Aino won’t have this capability, but it will let users browse the Playstation Store and chat with friends on PSN. Read More
The Polaris mobile handset robot
By Paul Lester
17:34 September 10, 2009 PDT
Despite having limited success in other countries, Japan enjoys nothing more than coming up with progressively weird and wacky designs for robots, and it doesn’t seem to matter whether they have any real practical application.The latest entry into this category is the Polaris mobile phone robot, a spherical, mobile device designed to house a handset that, when not docked, will be busy recording data based on a user’s day-to-day activity. Read More
Nokia looking to get in the money
By Darren Quick
00:23 August 27, 2009 PDT
Nokia’s new Nokia Money service will let users send money, pay for products, recharge prepaid SIM cards and pay utility bills just by using the payee’s mobile phone number. Designed to be as simple as making a phone call or sending an SMS, the Nokia Money services will be accessible 24 hours a day anywhere there is mobile phone coverage. Read More
Portable USB drive and solar charger boosts gadgets on the move
By Paul Lester
17:40 August 23, 2009 PDT
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that gets a decent amount of sun every year, investing in a solar charger to give portable devices a boost when out and about would be a wise idea and Korean company Zyrus has come up with something tidy and practical enough to hold genuine appeal. Read More
PedalPower+ charges cyclists' phones, GPS, iPods
By Jeff Salton
21:52 August 9, 2009 PDT
In bygone days, a bicycle dynamo struggled to generate enough energy to power a weak headlight for the lonely cyclist riding home on a dark night. Back then it was the only electronic application that a cyclist needed because dynamos were first invented when riders still made calls from public telephone booths or stopped to read a map for directions. But a new bicycle dynamo system called PedalPower+ can help recharge the arsenal of battery-powered accessories modern cyclists’ rely on for communications, navigation and entertainment - on the fly. Read More
North American NAVIGON on board navigation system for the iPhone
By Gizmag Team
01:32 July 27, 2009 PDT
The convergence of the mobile phone and GPS took a quantum leap this week when NAVIGON released a North American version of its on-board navigation software for the iPhone. MobileNavigator transforms any iPhone 3G (or S) with OS 3.0 into a complete navigation device. The on-board approach means the software and map data is on the iPhone, so there are no subscription fees to pay or map downloads to wait for during navigation. It includes most regular NAVIGON functionality such as Reality View Pro, Lane Assistant Pro, Speed Assistant and Day & Night Mode, branded POIs along the route with more features to be added with software updates later this year. Read More
Samsung watch phone calls in early
By Darren Quick
20:17 July 23, 2009 PDT
Looks like Samsung is going to beat LG to the punch with the release of its S9110 watch phone due to hit stores before the rival LG GD910 – in France anyway. Aimed at Dick Tracy fans and gadget lovers alike the S9110 even manages to squeeze a few more features into its diminutive body, including a larger 1.76-inch touchscreen (to the GD910’s 1.43-inch), Bluetooth 2.1 and Outlook email sync. Read More
John Wassner
- November 27, 2009 @ 01:40 UTC
