31 Temmuz 2008 Perşembe

Do we Really Need a Zune Phone?


[What do you think? Is this what we really need? (Artist Concept)]

There is a bit speculation going around the Interweb as of late that Microsoft is hard at work on a Zune based phone, or ZunePhone if you want to call it what all the cool kids are calling it. In a recent memo making the rounds at Microsoft, Steve Ballmer is quoted as saying the following:

"In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving. Why? Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience. Today, we’re changing the way we work with hardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experiences with absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones—providing choice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences."


After reading this memo I did what any fan of technology would do - I ran to my nearest window to get a glimpse of the pigs flying because Microsoft is finally starting to take an Apple-like approach to things by taking more control with hardware vendors to provide a "complete experiences with absolutely no compromises" for their end user. While I applaud Microsoft for taking that first step in hopefully stopping the hardware vendors from providing us with sub-par systems cluttered with excessive junk that we will never need or use on both the Desktop and mobile arena, you have to stop and ask yourself two questions:

Why the heck has it taken so long for Microsoft to step in to ensure a better user experience?
How angry are all the hardware vendors going to be over this news?

To be honest, I'm not really even that concerned about how angry or upset Microsoft's partners would be about something like this. This is mostly because these vendors are a large part of the reason why things are not as great as they could be. With the exception of HTC my personal opinion is that the majority of Windows Mobile handset makers just 'don't get it'. Looking back over the last few years of handset releases no carrier has really gone out of their way like HTC has to bring us a truly great mobile experience. Sure Samsung dipped its toes in the water with their Samsung Blackjack variant with the pretty and WM 6.1ish nifty homescreen, but unless you wanted to install a cooked ROM onto your device there was no chance that we would see this hint of what Windows Mobile could be in any other Samsung Blackjack out there in the wild and with Samsung's recent releases of Windows Mobile handsets you probably could never tell that there was a creative bone in their bodies at all!

This is incredibly annoying as some of my biggest complaints as an end user has always been the sheer lack of anything pretty to look at on our devices. Take for instance one of my biggest pet peeves with my Smartphone - super tiny contact images that would make Ray Palmer proud. According to Microsoft they left the ability for the handset makers to go in and tweak these to their liking as with almost everything else on the operating system but unfortunately no one ever took advantage of it. Instead what we received for years on end was the comforting knowledge in knowing that each company was just going to point the finger at the other and no one would take responsibility for leaving us with this horrible case of the uglies.

This one reason alone is why I have stated many times that if Microsoft was truly serious about competing on this new mobile plane, one where in the past years consumers have shown us that they wanted smartphone like features in user friendly packages, Microsoft would have to take complete control of their mobile operating system. They would have to control every aspect from hardware design to software design. It is not like we're still living in the days of Windows 95. Microsoft has shown us in the past that when it comes to making things pleasant to look at they are not as inept as they once were. Take the Zune and Windows Media Center for instance. Both products are some of the most ascetically pleasing releases Microsoft has ever had. It is one of the benefits to having pockets as large as Microsoft. If you lack a skill such as design then go out and buy that skill!

So that finally brings us to where we are now. Everyone seems to be convinced that Microsoft's recent memo about taking full control of the hardware and software will lead to the release of a Zune based handset and it probably could. My honest opinion is that as much as I would love to see Microsoft release a device such as this, it would just be way to confusing to the market place and would probably frustrate customers instead of making them happy be giving them what they want. I mean think about, do we really need a fourth Windows Mobile SKU?!

I will be the first person to admit that when it comes to Windows Mobile we definitely need a change. However creating an offset version of it to address just a tiny fraction of what is wrong with the OS is not really the way to go. Let's face it, at the heart of the matter Windows Mobile is a broken experience. It is hands down my favorite mobile operating system out there, but it could be way better. Instead of just putting a band-aid on problem and hoping that everything will be okay, I would just love to see Microsoft tear the whole thing down and rebuild that bad boy up from scratch. Hopefully this is what we can expect Windows Mobile 7 will be, a complete redesign from the ground up, but Microsoft is so hush-hush on the subject that I am actually starting to worry that we will get just more of the same.

There is a shred of hope however. As the memo states above Microsoft if finally starting to see the light when it comes to not allowing your their vendors to defecate on their products. Apple has finally started to force Microsoft into a different way of thinking and what comes out of these new thought processes I am confident will help shape all of our futures for years to come. What we need is something new and fresh and I finally feel that Microsoft is at the point in their game to give it to us. We as consumers need a new consumer friendly Windows Mobile operating system that allows us all to manage our media and information with ease. We do not however need the Zune software tacked onto current Windows Mobile devices, given a new name, and sent out there into the wild. At the rate we're going it feels like Windows Mobile is starting to turn into a game of Jenga and I'm afraid at any moment the whole thing is just going to fall down.

HP iPAQ 914c unboxed

The iPAQ 914c is another great looking device from HP. The iPAQ 914 is a blackberry-style Windows Mobile device with a fixed full QWERTY keyboard. Typically you would expect a device of this form factor to be a Windows Mobile Standard style Smartphone but in this case HP have included WM 6.1 professional complete with touchscreen.



Phillip is putting a review together for us which should be here next week, so until then, here is our unbox video:



HP iPAQ 914 Specification:

* Windows Mobile 6.1 professional
* 2.5" transmissive TFT 320 x 240 pixel touch panel display
* Built-in Assisted GPS
* Integrated Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Tri Band HSPDA
* WiFi 802.11 b/g
* Bluetooth V2.0
* 416MHz processor
* 128MB SDRAM/ 256MB ROM
* 3 Megapixel Camera
* QWERTY Keyboard
* MicroSD Slot
* 1940 mAh Lithium Polymer battery
* 113 x 64 x 16 mm
* 146 grams

You can also watch the video from my videos blog

30 Temmuz 2008 Çarşamba

ASUS moving forward on ZX1 cancellation, adding two other phones?


CNET Asia has apparently received word that not only will ASUS' Lamborghini-branded ZX1 smartphone be canceled (as we mentioned earlier this month), but the company will also be putting the brakes on its forthcoming P560 and M536 phones as well. In a statement issued presumably to CNET, the company claims that the project has been postponed due to the "technical immaturity of a key component from one of our suppliers," though they seem to have left the door open for a reboot. We know one thing for sure -- it's clear that the P560 and M536 weren't those "more important devices" the company made reference to previously. They probably need the resources for another 25 versions of the Eee PC.

Sony Ericsson's G705 slider leaks onto internet, shows hope for the future


An undeterred Sony Ericsson appears to have a handsome new slider on its way out in the near future -- according to a slew of pictures leaked to the se4m forums -- meant to sit beside the previously spied (and supposedly forthcoming) Remi. The device -- dubbed the G705 -- will feature GPS, WiFi, a 2.4-inch display, a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, 128MB of internal memory, and will run atop the A2 software platform. There's not a ton of info to go around right now, but if you hit the read link you can feast your eyes on a wide array of succulent photos. We're including another shot after the break, just in case you don't like traveling.

First And Only Access Linux Smartphone Cancelled

The public relations firm for European wireless carrier Orange has confirmed that the Samsung smartphone running on the Access Linux Platform, originally planned for later this year, has been cancelled.

Orange's PR firm, speaking to The Inquirer, attributed the cancellation of the Samsung SGH-i800 to "a number of advances in mobile technology" which would allow for "a more competitive Linux mobile" at some point in the future, based on the LiMo Foundation's Linux platform.



This is a major defeat for Access, which has yet to get a single ALP device on the market, or a solid commitment from a major brand.

The Samsung i800 was the first and only device announced that would have run the Access Linux Platform since the operating system's release in early 2007.

A Brief History of ALP
After Access purchased PalmSource in 2005, it acquired the rights to the Palm OS, and its successor, the Access Linux Platform (ALP).

This operating system offers a new user interface, access to thousands of Palm OS Garnet-based applications available now, and the ability to run native applications written specifically for this new OS.

Still, no major company has stepped forward to license ALP. Even Palm, Inc. it taking a different route, developing its own Linux-based successor to the Palm OS, partially based on technology purchased from Access.

29 Temmuz 2008 Salı

Palm update enables Bluetooth voice dialing on Treo 800w


Screaming names into Jawbones -- while undoubtedly relaxing and a great source of stress relief -- hasn't been particularly effective at accomplishing anything for early 800w owners on Sprint who've discovered that their devices don't support voice dialing via Bluetooth out of the gate. Fortunately, Palm's been crazy on the ball with this one, releasing an update this week all quick-like to get the feature enabled. Don't let that stop you from screaming random names in public, of course.

.NET Micro Framework v3.0 Beta SDK and 3.0 Features.

The .NET Micro Framework team have made a Beta of the .NET Micro Framework 3.0 available to download from the Microsoft Connect Site (more information on the NETMF team blog)

What's new and interesting with v3.0 I hear you ask... The list of features planned for the v3.0 release can be found here and here's the short list.

* Interop
* Touchscreen
* Filesystem
* VS2008
* DPWS Tools
* Wi-Fi
* SSL
* Serial enhancements
* USB Device
* Fonts
* More cores
* Emulator and diag enhancements

Sidekick 2008 now available on eBay, too


It looks like those bummed they couldn't snag that Sidekick 2008 (a.k.a. Gekko) that hit Craigslist earlier this month now have another shot at one, as an apparently non-prototype version of the device has just turned up on eBay -- again, before one is actually available at a T-Mobile store. Currently, the bidding is topping $300 with the reserve not yet met, but if you've just gotta have one, you can swoop in and snag it for the Buy-it-Now price of $999. Or, you know, you could just wait and spend your savings on things you really need, like RFID-activated sliding doggie doors.

Skyfire for Symbian now in beta


While Skyfire continues to promise big things on the Windows Mobile front -- a front that needs as many high-quality browsers as it can get -- there's another beta getting underway at the company for a S60 version of its Flash-enabled web viewer. Like Opera Mini and Deepfish, Skyfire renders content server-side -- and in addition to Flash, it's packing support for Quicktime, Windows Media, Silverlight, and AJAX, so it should serve up a pretty PC-like experience. Unfortunately, that's an experience that only a select few in the private beta can enjoy at the moment, but Skyfire's now taking signups for Beta 2, so get in (or at least try to) while the gettin's good.

iPhone 3G accidentally snaps photo in factory, reveals long lost siblings


Unless you hit the jackpot at an Apple Store, you aren't apt to see this many iPhone 3Gs in one place without planning a meetup. As the story goes, one particular lady picked up one of Apple's latest handsets, took it home and began checking things out. Curiously, a trio of images were already on the Camera Roll. Upon viewing them, she noticed two snaps overcome with blur and the one you see above -- likely a rare look into an iPhone 3G factory. Not that we haven't see Apple products give away their place of origin before, but still interesting nonetheless. Now, scurry along and check out your own roll to see if any hidden treasures are waiting.

28 Temmuz 2008 Pazartesi

Full Facebook on your Mobile Phone with Friend Mobilizer


Have you ever wished you could be notified automatically on your phone what’s happening on your Facebook site? Better yet, what if you could see what’s transpiring and be able to interact with Facebook on your phone just as you would on your desktop? A free application from Macrospecs, Inc. called FriendMobilizer makes this possible. It only works on Windows Mobile 6 and higher phones. But if you don’t have one, you should not consider anything less.

There is a Smartphone and Pocket PC version available or for touch screen and non-touch screen Windows Mobile devices.

After you register your phone, there are two options for downloading and installing the software. You can download a CAB file via synchronization with the desktop or you can do it over the air using your mobile device’s Web browser. I do not appreciate, however, that you are required to install it to main memory; you may not install it on an expansion card. I detest anything that hogs up my main memory. But, it’s only a 381K file.

After installation, the first time you use it you must login to your Facebook account. If you check the save this information box, you won’t have to do this again.

Click Login, and your Facebook notifications open on your handheld screen with the following key features available:

* All notifications are sent to your handheld screen
* You can set your status
* Approve friend requests
* View Group/Event invites
* Check wall posts
* Check inbox
* Send messages, pokes, and wall posts
* View friends’ status, timezone, all, photos, profile, and more

Basically, you get access to the entire Facebook experience on your mobile phone. To register your phone and to download this free software, go to http://faceofmobile.com. Follow the instructions, and you will have Facebook on your phone in no time.

The Pantech Duo is Coming to Mexico via Telcel


The Pantech duo features unique design that lets users have both qwerty keyboard and general numeric keypad depending on the way they slide the phone. This global roaming phone enables users to check their email and surf the web in more than 135 countries and have voice communication in over 190 countries through GPRS/EDGE.

iPhone 3G GPS a strong aid in Mobile Commerce

How will new 3G iPhone revolution change the world we live in? gone are they days of trunk calls and letters, we are now social on www. We keep in touch in better way, we know whats happening with whom and where, we know a lot more credit goes to the new technology, which changes by the second. Are you tracking your friends who are blogging, nanoblogging and geotagging? Everything around is cool, interesting and techno rich.


Many people fell in love with iphone, and with all its features and interface, They can not imagine a life without it anymore! But then iphone 3G comes out. it excited me even further. Everything is just cool about this device.

iPhone changed my life for sure and with the new 3G iPhone they wonder, how important this could be for users? what can we do with this power that fits in our hands? What is the commercial value to this one? How can marketers make the best use of this product.

Everything just got more nicer, iphone has an application market as well, but no I am not writing this in context to that, what compels me to believe that has huge potential is iPhone 3G’s GPS.

iPhone 3G comes with fully integrated GPS on a user-friendly and consumer device. Where as geeks like us keep tweaking it on the previous phones which required hacks to have GPS on them.

iPhone developer SDK also lets you create applications that using this technology. What should we expect to see?


I am expecting see more innovative stuff that marketers of the new era would like to do differently. Imagine if you knew exactly where your customers were? Would you create an app that links people together who are physically close? Would you like to serve commercial messages that were relevant to their location?

Here is how GPS enabled iphone 3G is going change it.

How Geo-tagging can be automated
If you are carrying a device that knows where you are, it can auto geo-tag any kind of data you get hold of. Click a picture at location and upload it to Flickr and Flickr will pull the geo information and place the photo on the right place on the map. Update your Twitter while you are on move, it could auto update your location to the nearest city name or even the exact location you’re standing Imagine how can this ability be leveraged, no you don’t have to think it use as spying, but think out of the box, with technology’s changing face lets see it as a proactive input that everyone would be comfortable sharing with.

Find who is close by to you
How about you updating Facebook, and it prompting to you, informing about friends who are close by. This would be cool thing knowing where you are and where your friends are in real time, Isn’t it? Facebook’s iPhone app could alert you when any of your contacts are within 1/2 mile of your location. You could send message them to see if they can meet you.

For groups, stores and other organizations one could create an application which people could readily subscribe to that would allow them to receive promotions and offers whenever they are close by to its location.

Mobile Based Selling
With geotagging and proximity awareness it makes more useful for commercial purpose, you can actually prompt relevant, geo-targeted offers and with further application development, these can be used to make buying via your iphone possible. A Simple transaction, yet safe. Mobile commerce can see a new dimension now with the abilities that iphone 3G carries along. This phone can be a lot more than just a calling and multimedia rich browsing device. It not just promises rich user experience, but also assures advanced user interaction and accomplishes a lot by doing all this and more.

Motorola's VE75 gets detailed in pictures


We only peeped the Linux-powered Motorola VE75 a short week ago and the good people at China's Zol.com.cn have already loaded their site to bursting with pics from every angle. While the site doesn't offer up anything new in the nitty-gritty detail department, it does include a handful of interface pics if you were left curious from our first mention. Release date is listed as mid-August for about 3000 Yuan -- or roughly $450.

Nokia 5800 gets touched in the wild -- again


At this point, we've seen the Tube from everyone but Nokia -- heck, even Morgan Freeman got a chance to show it off -- and it looks like that trend isn't going to abate any time soon. Another round of in-the-wild shots of the supposed XpressMusic 5800 have popped up (yes, the latest prototype seems to have dropped the "XpressMedia" badge), showing off a pretty uninspiring keyboard that we can only hope has no bearing on the final product. Guess that's why they haven't announced this sucker yet, eh? We hope?

26 Temmuz 2008 Cumartesi

Diamond Loses Angles, Renamed Victor


If you dig everything about the Touch Diamond, but its F-117 looks, the Victor offers hope. Word on the street is that it packs the same specs as the Diamond. The only feature separating the two is the design of the rear. The Victor's is noticeably flatter, which should play nice with tables, dashboards, dishwashers, washing machines, and whatever else you love placing your phone on. So, the question to you, dear readers: which of the two do you prefer?

Better GPS Support Coming to the iPhone 3G

Apple has begun to give developers access to the next version of the iPhone 3G system software. This will reportedly make this smartphone more useful as a navigation tool.

Although the iPhone 3G has a built-in GPS receiver, as it stands now this lacks the ability to tell which direction the deice is facing, and what speed it is traveling at. Both of these are an important part of providing turn-by-turn directions.

The beta of iPhone 2.1 that some developers are receiving now has these GPS functions.

Push Notification

This software update beta also has an early version of Apple's push notification system. This was created to give the effect of multitasking without the disadvantages.

On the iPhone, third-party software can't operate simultaneously. This prevents the device from bogging down when too many applications are fighting over too few resources, but precludes the possibility of applications running in the background. As an example, this would make instant messaging applications less useful, as the user wouldn't be notified when a new message comes in unless the IM app is active.

As a workaround for this, Apple came up with its push notification system. This will allow applications that aren't running to receive a notification that an event has happened, like an IM message s waiting.

These notifications will be routed through Apple.

Coming Soon?

At this point, it is not known then the iPhone 2.1 update will be released.

Before this happens, though, Apple is expected to release iPhone 2.0.1, with a number of bug fixes.

25 Temmuz 2008 Cuma

Samsung i8510 INNOV8 exclusive in-depth preview

The most feature-packed phone on the market, the Samsung i8510 INNOV8, makes its way into our hands for an exclusive first look.
Pop quiz: What's the most feature-packed phone on the market? If you said the Nokia N95 8GB, you might have been right a few days ago, but tonight we got our hands on the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 and if there's one thing we can say about the device: it is loaded with features. We dove right into the 8-megapixel camera and were pleased to find a good mix of shooting options, including auto focus, smile detection, panoramic stitching and even a high-speed video recording mode. The phone also has a dedicated camera switch up top to emphasize its photographic pedigree, but we found ourselves confused by the switch/button combos required to activate camera. Perhaps some more practice with the phone would help (hint-hint, Samsung).

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 (are all those caps necessary?) runs the Symbian S60 OS, which has been a rarity for Samsung so far, but not unheard of. What's interesting is that the interface in no way resembles Nokia's version of the same platform. So the UI looks completely different than, say, the Nokia E71 that we recently reviewed. This isn't such a bad thing, as Samsung has produced a very polished and sharp looking interface that provides S60 with a more modern look. You can see the new interface in action in our hands-on video preview. The menu theme was sparkling and clear, though some of the apps on the device, like the music player, didn't get such a cosmetic update.

The phone has loads of soft keys and dedicated media buttons, as well as an optical mouse that also acts as the center button. We've used this optical mouse before, on the Samsung SGH-i780, but we're still not convinced its the best input method for a phone. Though the i780 used the optical pad as a mouse pointer, on the Samsung i8510 INNOV8, the optical button moves the cursor from selection to selection. It wasn't very responsive in our brief hands-on period with this pre-release unit, and we had an easier time simply pressing down on the navigation key to get where we wanted to go.

But back to all those features. The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 we got to try had the 16GB hard disk drive on board (an 8GB model will also be available), and the phone also features GPS and an accelerometer for some fancy display footwork. The phone will be marketed with a mobile gaming promotion, and will come pre-loaded with games like FIFA '08 and Asphalt 3.

Of course, the one feature this phone lacks is a touch interface. The OS looked so luscious in our hands-on test that we found ourselves poking at the screen, trying in vain to get the camera menus to respond to our touch, then remembered that Symbian S60 doesn't support touch devices, at least not yet. The phone runs on quad-band EDGE, but doesn't get the tri-band HSDPA required for ultra-fast networking here in the U.S., so importers should be warned before the phone is released in Europe later this summer.

Samsung i900 Omnia exclusive in-depth preview

We get an exclusive sneak peak at Samsung's most advanced all-touch phone, the Windows Mobile Samsung i900 Omnia.
At an event in New York City tonight we met with our favorite Samsung rep, who happened to have a brand new Samsung i900 Omnia fresh from headquarters. With the Omnia, Samsung has jumped on HTC's bandwagon, tweaking Windows Mobile with a custom interface that hides and improves much of the business smartphone OS. The interface closely resembles the Samsung SGH-F480, with its TouchWiz UI and desktop gadgets (check out our hands-on video of the Samsung SGH-F480 here). The interface uses a sidebar to store widgets, and the user drags widgets onto the desktop to activate them. The front screen was highly customizable, though there wasn't much room for a bunch of widgets at once.

Our favorite improvement that we saw in our brief hands-on period was definitely the enhanced media player. We've been crying for HTC (and now Sony Ericsson, with their upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia X1) to sweep away the aging Windows Media Player and replace it with something more touch friendly, and Samsung has done just that. As you can see in our hands-on video, the player looks great, and it worked very well, responding quickly to our touch and expanding nicely to full screen mode. The few movie trailers pre-loaded on the device looked sharp on the large, wide screen.

It wasn't all so fantastic. The Samsung i900 Omnia copies the Apple iPhone's address book almost directly, which is usually a mistake since no manufacturer has come close to the iPhone's responsiveness, so the similarity only highlights the distance between the phones. The list didn't move nearly as smoothly as we would like, and the alphabet running down the side didn't help us to jump to contacts on the list. Hopefully these responsiveness issues will be resolved before the phone hits the European market.

Otherwise, the phone is feature-packed. Around back we found a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and face detection. The phone also features super-fast 7.2Mbps HSDPA networking for those lucky Europeans who fall under such coverage, and will come with a beefy 8GB or 16GB of internal memory, bringing it well in line with the iPhone's storage capacity. For Web browsing, we saw the Opera browser pre-loaded, which is a great addition, but the phone wasn't running on local networks, so we couldn't test network speeds.

Expect the phone in Europe later this summer, according to Samsung's original announcement. Samsung reps didn't have any comment about a possible U.S. model, but that only makes us believe that it could make its way here, and other sites have found phones in the Samsung i900 family on the FCC database, which is always the first step to U.S. availability.

HTC Touch Diamond ROM Gives Faster TouchFLO and 850MHz Support


A ROM update from Hong Kong for the HTC Touch Diamond released yesterday adds some fantastic functionality such as the use of the 850MHz GSM band (used by AT&T here in the US) and the improved TouchFLO 3D performance. (For the record, the performance update is great.) There are also a few bug fixes like the "no signal issue" and home page loading. Grab it at the links from XDA Devs.[XDA Devs]

HTC Touch Diamond Becomes a Quad-Band World Phone

When the HTC Touch Diamond debuted last month, it was not officially released in N. America and lacked support for an important cellular-wireless frequency used in this area. Thanks to a new software upgrade, though, this has now changed.



At its release, this smartphone did not support the 850 MHz networks used in the U.S. by carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. A new ROM update released by HTC takes care of this.

Why HTC left 850 MHz support out of the Diamond at launch is unknown. One theory is that in the rush to get this product on the market, testing a frequency that isn't used in the countries where this smartphone is initially being sold was a low priority.

In any case, those who would like to make their Diamond into a quad-band world phone can download the latest ROM from HTC's web site. Because this smartphone still hasn't been released in N. America, this ROM is coming from HTC's Asian website.

More about the HTC Touch Diamond

This smartphone is an upgraded version of the very popular HTC Touch, and targeted at the pro-sumer class.

Like its predecessor, it doesn't have a hardware keyboard, but instead is focused on its touchscreen. It has a number of upgrades, like a VGA display, a 3-megapixel camera, and Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro.

There will eventually be both GSM and CDMA versions with 3G support, and some of these will include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and/or GPS.

24 Temmuz 2008 Perşembe

iPhone 3G SIM unlock demoed on video, zero details given


We've already seen the iPhone 3G got unlocked to function on any carrier (and you can already buy unlocked versions in several countries), but we haven't seen a locked handset get unlocked via software only, and the folks at gsmphone-unlocking have the first video we've seen of Steve's newest baby doing the SIM swap dance without any adapters. Yep, there it is, going from Rogers to Fido. Sadly, the video is more of a shameless ploy for publicity than actually useful information, and until we're told otherwise, we're just going to assume that they've just gotten hold of an early copy of the Dev Team's unlocking tool -- which should be free to the public sometime soon. So, you know: video after the break, but feel free to ignore the obnoxious phone numbers and URLs.

Raleigh, NC's WRAL testing MPH mobile DTV system


Although Raleigh, North Carolina is set to become one of the first DVB-SH test markets in America, WRAL is already testing out yet another standard. The station known nationwide for taking its local newscasts to the world of HD while everyone else sat and moped in their SD control rooms is currently teaming with CBC in order to test out the ATSC-compatible MPH mobile television transmission system. As we've seen before, the system enables "local broadcasters to deliver digital television to mobile devices including cellphones, laptops and personal media players," all while moving quickly in vehicles, hoverboards, rocket-powered scooters -- you name it. There's no word on what exactly will happen once the trials conclude, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground just in case it's something big

BlackBerry KickStart 8220 gets really early review


The Bold is still stealing the overwhelming majority of RIM's spotlight at the moment for a handful of pretty good reasons: one, it's actually been announced; two, it's 3G; and three, it falls in line with the traditional (and loved) BlackBerry form factor. Lurking in the shadows, though, is the KickStart, RIM's very first flip phone, and a device that could end up making a huge splash if it actually manages to launch at the sub-$50 price point that's been making the rounds on the rumor circuit. CrackBerry got a way-early peek at the 8220 version of the device, which follows RIM's typical naming convention by packing WiFi while an 8210 will hold up the GPS side of things (seriously, RIM, how hard can it be to do both?), and overall it seems that the R&D team did its homework from the quick impressions. The SureType keyboard is huge and apparently quite easy to use without making the phone excessively large, though the trackball rests deeper in the shell making it a bit trickier to operate -- you win some, you lose some. The QVGA display is said to be just shy of Bold quality (which is a compliment, considering the killer screen on the Bold), and it's always hard to argue with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Come on, T-Mobile, let's make this happen.

Windows iPhone 3G jailbreak tool released


Sure, it was already possible (if complicated) to jailbreak a first-gen iPhone running the 2.0 software under Windows, but this is the one-click tool all you crazy cats with those extra G's need if you don't have a Mac -- too bad no one's come up with a better name than "pwn" yet. Please, people. Let's do better

23 Temmuz 2008 Çarşamba

What cell phones work where?

Several readers have various questions related to cell phone networks and carriers. We take an in-depth look to come up with some answers.

AT&T Wireless

AT&T Wireless owns and operates a GSM 850/1900 MHz network. The safest way for AT&T customers to buy unlocked phones, is by choosing phones that are supporting both frequencies. AT&T's 3G network operates on the same frequencies. In addition, AT&T has licensed portions of the 1700 MHz frequency (AWS spectrum), which will likely be used to enhance its 3G capacity in certain areas.


* Coverage map
* AT&T phones
* Unlocked GSM 850/1900 MHz phones
* Unlocked 3G 850/1900 MHz phones

T-Mobile

T-Mobile USA owns a GSM network operating on the 1900 MHz frequency. To further enhance its network coverage, the carrier is also seamlessly using AT&T Wireless' 850 MHz frequency when their own network is not within reach. Since most European handsets are supporting GSM 1900 MHz, T-Mobile USA's customers can pretty much choose from any European handsets available via online retailers like Amazon. Just make sure to check out T-Mobile's coverage map first, which distinguishes T-Mobile's 1900 MHz coverage from the 850 MHz roaming. T-Mobile does currently not offer 3G, but a network is currently being deployed on the 1700 MHz frequency (AWS spectrum).


* Coverage map
* T-Mobile phones
* Unlocked 1900 MHz phones

Sprint

Sprint owns and operates a CDMA network operating on 800 and 1900 MHz frequencies. Only phones that are originally purchased with a Sprint subscription will work on this network. In order for a Sprint phone to for instance work on Verizon Wireless' network, the phone would need to be flashed with firmware from Verizon Wireless and tested on Verizon Wireless' network. Sprint uses the 2100 MHz frequency for its EV-DO data services, and is currently also deploying a Mobile WiMAX network on the 2500 MHz frequency.


* Coverage map
* Sprint phones

Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates a CDMA network operating on 800 and 1900 MHz frequencies. Only phones that are originally purchased with a Verizon Wireless subscription will work on this network. In order for a Verizon Wireless phone to for instance work on Sprint's network, the phone would need to be flashed with firmware from Sprint and tested on Sprint's network. Verizon Wireless uses the 2100 MHz frequency for its EV-DO data services, and will soon begin trials for its 4G network to operate on the 700 MHz frequency.


* Coverage map
* Verizon Wireless phones

iPhone 3G vs. Windows Mobile smartphones

The Apple iPhone 3G can do everything, right? Not so fast. Infosync editor Philip Berne talks about his favorite features on Windows Mobile smartphones, features the Apple iPhone still can't match.

The Apple iPhone 3G is currently our multimedia smartphone of choice, but that doesn't mean it's the perfect phone. In fact, we think that Apple could learn a lot from its oldest nemesis, Microsoft. For all its flaws, there are some things that Windows Mobile does quite well, better than any of its competitors, in fact. The smartphone market is all about operating systems these days. Google's Android is on the way. Palm's newest OS is around a very long, sharp corner. RIM's BlackBerry OS will get an update on the BlackBerry Bold this year, and even Symbian has been forming new partnerships and gaining new ground. Here are a few things that the beast from Redmond can teach the rest of the pack, especially Apple's rarefied device.

1. Scheduling and productivity

Like many business folks, our job sometimes seems to revolve around meetings, so a good calendar app is a must for a smartphone. Microsoft's OS includes a feature for scheduling that is so simple, it's obvious. With Windows Mobile smartphones, you can invite other people to meetings. It works the same as on Outlook, which is no coincidence. We've never scheduled a meeting for just ourselves alone, so inviting our colleagues is a must. WinMo offers this feature and the best integration with our desktop Outlook client.

Windows Mobile also comes preloaded with Microsoft's Mobile Office suite. There are plenty of great options for opening office documents, some that might even be better than Microsoft's own edition. DataViz's DocumentsToGo and QuickOffice both come to mind. These are all good options, but Windows Mobile is the only one to offer real Office document editing on every single phone. From the lowliest clamshell to the high-end AT&T Tilt, everyone can read and edit Word, Excel and even simple PowerPoint documents.

2. Searching for contacts and other stuff

On a Windows Mobile smartphone, from the Today screen, when you start typing a name, the phone instantly pulls up your contacts and starts narrowing the list as you type. You don't have to go digging through menus to find your address book, or remember keyboard shortcuts. Other phones have started using this same trick, and we love it. It's the quickest, most convenient way to find a contact, and it's a great reminder that whatever else the device can do, at heart it's really a phone.

Microsoft's Windows Mobile has also pushed searching to the top level, up to the Today screen. On the last Windows Mobile smartphone we tested, the Palm Treo 800w, the Today screen was dominated by searching of all types. There was Internet searching via Windows Live, and also location-based search using the Treo's GPS and Palm's own point-of-interest database. Sure, any smartphone can perform the same functions, but we like that Microsoft has made searching a real priority on Windows Mobile, and so looking up contacts, looking up answers on the Web and searching for a local coffeeshop or gas station is quick and easy on a WinMo device.

3. Tethered modem support

When we're on the road, which is quite often, we hate relying on hotel Wi-Fi services that overcharge for limited use or, even worse, having to find a free Wi-Fi spot. We prefer to rely on our 3G smartphone to connect us to the Internet. While most smartphones, except for the Apple iPhone, can handle this task fairly easily, there is no easier way to connect your laptop to the rest of the world than Windows Mobile's Internet Sharing app. It isn't a program that every carrier and manufacturer uses, but when we find it on a smartphone, we feel like we've struck 3G gold. It's so simple to use: simply press the "Connect" button, plug your phone into your laptop and you're all set. No proprietary software, no confusing dial-up prompts. Just one touch and you're surfing the Web. This is how every smartphone should connect.

4. A variety of devices

One of the best things about Windows Mobile is that it scales nicely to a variety of devices. Unlike any other smartphone OS, WinMo shows up on full-QWERTY touchscreen phones, QWERTY slab phones with no touchscreen, and even simple clamshell phones with only a numeric keypad for input. There are Windows Mobile smartphones with no hardware keyboard at all. You might expect that only the Professional, touchscreen version of the OS is worthwhile, but in fact the Standard edition, which works on non-touch phones like the Motorola Q9 and Samsung BlackJack 2, might be even better, thanks to some recent improvements to the Today screen and the user interface. All Windows Mobile phones perform the feats we've discussed, from contact searching through real Office document editing. The ubiquity of the OS is impressive, and even venerable smartphone makers, like Nokia with their Symbian S60 OS, are trying to catch up to the breadth of device options Windows Mobile offers.

5. If you don't like it, change it

One of the nice things about Windows Mobile is that it doesn't have to look like Windows Mobile. Of course the user can hack into the phone's registry file and mess around there, but that's beyond our ability and interest. What we really mean is that manufacturers have been doing a very good job streamlining and in some cases hiding Windows Mobile from the user. HTC comes to mind first, of course, with their TouchFLO interface on the HTC Touch and the new HTC Touch Diamond. But even Sony Ericsson has gotten into the Windows Mobile game, and we doubt that users of the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 smartphone will even notice that there's a Start menu under all that glitz and glamour.

For any other smartphone OS maker, such camouflage would be an anathema. But Microsoft has unashamedly embraced these modifications, and the Windows Mobile market is better because of it. Of course, we would prefer to see Windows Mobile with a shiny new user interface of its own, which would relieve the necessity for such modifications. But until a new version of the OS surfaces, we're content to enjoy these important smartphone features, and we're unwilling to toss our Windows Mobile phone aside completely in favor of the Apple iPhone.

Windows Live Updated For Windows Mobile Devices


Not content to just offer a new version of Windows Live Messenger for a competing platform, Microsoft today released an updated official version of the full Windows Live app for Windows Mobile that features contacts syncing, support for Live Spaces, Live Maps, and push email from HotMail, MSN, or Live accounts. It's a free mobile download, though you'll have to make sure you nuke the old version first lest you mess up your device.

Nokia E71 Debuts in the U.S.


Nokia's E-series devices have been rarely sold through U.S. carriers and as a result they have usually have to be imported by wholesale retailers or bought through one of Nokia's flagship stores.

The E71 is reportedly the latest to go on sale at Nokia's Chicago flagship store. In addition, it's the North American (NAM) variant that's available. This model features compatibility with AT&T's 3G network.
The listed price for the E71 at the Chicago store is $473.

More about the Nokia E71

The Nokia E71 has a 320-by-240-pixel QVGA screen and QWERTY keyboard design that similar to devices such as the Palm Treo 800w, RIM BlackBerry Curve, and Samsung BlackJack II, though in a body that is only 10mm thick.

It comes with 802.11g Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP, 3.2 megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics and auto focus, a microSDHC memory card slot, and Symbian S60 Feature Pack 1 operating system.

For more information about the Nokia E71, visit the Nokia website and view Brighthand's preview.

Latest Version of Windows Mobile Comes to HTC Mogul

The HTC Mogul is the latest device to get an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.1. This helps keep this Sprint model, which debuted last year, relevant in the smartphone market.




The Mogul is one of several models that have received similar upgrades recently, including the Samsung i760 and HTC Touch. These come in the wake of the release of Windows Mobile 6.1 itself, which happened this spring.

What New?

As its version number suggests, Windows Mobile 6.1 isn't radically different from 6.0. The major improvement Mogul users will see will be in Internet Explorer Mobile, which gets a new rendering engine based on Internet Explorer 6 for the desktop, as well as a "Zoom Out" mode for full page preview.

The upgrade also includes Microsoft's threaded Text messaging app, and it adds support for Sprint TV.

Downloading

This upgrade can be found on HTC's website. It is available for free.

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Review

RIM has been pretty successful in many respects with both its BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Pearl offerings. Both models have the business sense and email ability that marks the BlackBerry brand, and offer a bit more style and substance to the table than past devices.

The Curve leans toward staying mainly a business device, but with a bit of a consumer flair. Its smaller profile than the BlackBerry 8800 series makes it pocketable, but its not so much so that the famous RIM QWERTY keyboard style needs to be changed, as it is on the Pearl. It also offers an increasing amount of third party applications, and a slightly different style than feature phones tend to have.



I spent some time with the BlackBerry Curve 8330 for Sprint to see for myself some of this ability to merge consumer functionality with BlackBerry sensibility. And while not everything is as point-and-go as the push email, there's good reason to believe that future RIM models will be able to do just fine keeping work productive and play enjoyable.

In This Review

* Design
* Wireless Connectivity
* Day-to-Day Use
* PIM and Other Applications
* Battery Life
* Switching Smartphones
* Conclusion

16 Temmuz 2008 Çarşamba

iPhone 2.0 Tips: Safari Shows Embedded YouTube Clips


Much like the way Safari has handled Quicktime videos on former versions of the firmware, the new 2.0 release now allows you to see embedded YouTube content with your iPhone or iPod Touch on Safari. Click and it hands off video duties to the YouTube player. Really, that's better than watching it embedded, and makes the handheld Web browsing world that much closer to its desktop version.

Samsung i760 Gets Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade

The Samsung i760 is regarded by many as one of the best Windows Mobile smartphones available today, even though it was introduced last year. An operating system upgrade that was just released pushes this model back to the leading edge.




For those who are unfamiliar with this device, it's a 3G smartphone with both a built-in keyboard and a numberpad. It's available only from Verizon.

The upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.1 Samsung has just released for the i760 brings a number of enhancements, including an improved version of Internet Explorer Mobile, threaded SMS messages, and support for YouTube videos.

This OS upgrade can be downloaded now -- for free -- from Samsung's website.

An Overview of the Samsung i760

The i760 includes a horizontally-oriented QWERTY keyboard that slides out from behind the display. Unlike many similar models, though, this device also includes a numberpad on its face, making dialing easier.

This doesn't mean it has sacrificed screen size; its 2.8-inch, QVGA touchscreen is the same size and resolution as the one on many of its competitors.

For those looking for a mobile device with 3G, the i760 can connect to Verizon's EV-DO network, plus it has Wi-Fi. In addition, it includes Bluetooth 2.0.

Other features of this model are a 1.3 megapixel camera w/flash and camcorder and a microSD memory card slot.

15 Temmuz 2008 Salı

Sprint Palm Treo 800w Video 1st Look

I apologize in advance for a couple things… a) The delay getting the video online. 250mb takes a while to upload to YouTube, b) some minor mistakes I made in the video and c) The length of the video. 20+ minutes is a lot to sit through. Of course, if you are in the market for the Palm Treo 800w, it’s worth it to watch.

Samsung Instinct, LG Dare, iPhone 3G... fight!


Alright, you three are sworn enemies, so what are we waiting for? Let's get it on! Go ahead, seriously, exchange some blows. No better way to get the party started than with a little speed test; the Instinct's data services still seem to be jacked, but the Dare and iPhone 3G squared off with the LG model consistently besting Apple's by between 50-100kbps over Verizon's EV-DO network (see the gallery for the side-by-side). That's not to say the Dare is consistently the faster phone -- it has everything to do with the network in your area, the time of day, the circumstances, and which side of the bed you woke up on this morning -- but it's an interesting observation here nonetheless. We'll follow up with an Instinct speed test (and another round of testing on the Dare and iPhone) when we can.


Gallery: Samsung Instinct, LG Dare, iPhone 3G... fight!

Actual Google Phone Rumors Revived: Designed by Ammunition Group


Talk about a single, branded GPhone more or less died down after the announcement of Android, but it seems that you just can't completely kill a good rumor. According to TechCrunch, an Android phone made by Google may actually become a reality, based on two new bits of information—the first being a quote in The Hollywood Reporter from a press conference with Larry Page, Sergei Brin and CEO Eric Schmidt. Update: Silicon Alley Insider says the quote is actually inaccurate, noting none of the other major news orgs there picked it up.

The reporter noted that “The trio of Google execs also used the opportunity to talk about the inroads the company is making with its own branded mobile phone as a replacement for the iPhone.” [That appears to be a mix-up by the reporter, with Sergey and Larry actually talking about not producing their own phone, according to Reuters's Ken Li's notes in SAI.]

But, TechCrunch does have its own source, who "swears" that the Ammunition Design Group "is designing the Gphone and that it is a seriously beautiful device." They've worked with companies like Palm, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Computer and Logitech in the past (a phone they designed for Sprint is pictured above). Not a confirmation by any means, but TechCrunch usually has decent info—so take that for what it's worth.

The more probable explanation for any sort of design work on a handset for Google is that they could be prototypes for marketing or other promotion—no one can make the call whether it's for production yet.

BlackBerry Thunder first-ever live pics unearthed


If you're a BlackBerry fan feeling the need for relief from the throngs of iPhone lovers, the cats at CrackBerry may have uncovered a solution to your problem. The RIM aficionados have gotten their hands on the first ever live pictures of the phone-maker's touchscreen device -- the Thunder -- and it's looking pretty darn sweet. Feast your eyes on the above photo (featuring the much-discussed "tactile" keyboard), and hit the read link for another look.

iPhone 3G launch coverage roundup


Even though the dust ought to have settled three and a half days later, people all over the country (and world?) are still spending hours in line for an iPhone 3G. It's a tall order for a phone, but clearly people are ravenous -- so here's all the news you need to catch yourself up on the goings on of the past few days.

Palm Treo 800w Review

The Treo 800w is Palm's latest smartphone for business users, and its first with Wi-Fi and GPS.



At launch it is available only from Sprint, and this is one of the first devices with support for EV-DO Rev. A, a faster version of this carrier's 3G cellular-wireless data network.

Sprint is charging $250 for the 800w, a lower cost than is usual for a Treo on launch day, even if a two-year contract is necessary to get that price.

Inside this Review

* Design and Construction
* Display
* Performance, Software, and Operating System
* Communication and Connectivity
* GPS Positioning
* Bugs and Issues
* Battery Life
* Conclusion
* Specifications

Read More...

13 Temmuz 2008 Pazar

iPhone 2.0 Software Upgrade Now Officially Available... Sort Of

On the same day Apple launched the second generation iPhone it has also released a system software upgrade that will bring many of the features of the new model to the previous version of this smartphone.

In addition to an upgrade for the original iPhone, Apple has also released one for the iPod touch.




The most significant feature in these is the ability to run native third-party applications, but they also have a number of other enhancements:

Support for Exchange ActiveSync, Microsoft's enterprise email system
Support for MobileMe, Apple's service that's similar to Exchange but targeting consumers
Ability to view iWork and Microsoft PowerPoint files that come in as attachments
and more
iPhone users can download this upgrade through iTunes, while a link to purchase the iPod touch version for $10 can be found on Apple's website.

Installation and Activation Problems

The iPhone is currently a victim of its success. All across the world, people are buying and activating their new iPhone 3Gs, while at the same time so many users of the earlier iPhone and iPod touch are trying to download the upgrade, that Apple servers are unable to keep up with demand.

Apple iPhone 3G User Review

The iPhone 3G is Apple's updated version of the first-generation iPhone. As you may recall, the original was announced back in January of 2007, and later released to the public June 29 of last year. It didn't matter if they were geeks or didn't have the slight of interest in technology, a wide variety of people camped out to get a new iPhone.

Still, many complained that it was missing 3G -- faster mobile Internet, compared to the 2.5G EDGE. Others complained about the lack of GPS, a non-user replaceable battery, no Flash support, limited size of storage, and other things that everyone thought the iPhone should have. I mean c'mon, the iPhone is supposed to be "Jesus Phone".


A year later, Apple has released the iPhone 3G, its second generation model. The launch was yesterday, and even though there weren't lines in the 1000's this time, there were still lines in the hundreds, but most were around 40-100 or so people at Apple/AT&T stores.

Why is that, though? How come the demand isn't so high this time around? Well, it's the fact that this isn't a completely new product. It's just like the iPod. If you are one of the 6 million iPhone users currently, why would you need to upgrade if the product doesn't have new ground breaking features? Stay tuned, and I'd explain why I believe the iPhone 3G is a great upgrade, but not a necessary one.

Inside this Review

* Design
* 3G and Data Plans
* GPS Navigation
* Screen
* Phone Quality
* Email
* App Store
* Camera
* Battery Life
* Other Features
* What's Missing
* Conclusion
* Last Thoughts

Read More...

11 Temmuz 2008 Cuma

Apple iPhone 2.0

There is another review for Apple iPhone 2.0

Apple Remote iPhone App Controls Your iTunes Over Wi-Fi


The App store went live a few minutes ago and the remote app we saw last week went live as well. It controls your iTunes through a screen that looks just like the regular iPhone/iPod touch player, and it only works through Wi-Fi. You can control AppleTVs, too, and you can also control speaker output.

TeleNav Confirms iPhone In-Car Navigation App


Though it's not among the 522 awesome apps launching today, TeleNav will soon fill a pretty big hole by providing a turn-by-turn in-car GPS navigator app for the iPhone 3G, as we speculated. TeleNav confirmed to us today that its app will include full-color 3D moving maps and the turn-by-turn voice guidance and traffic-aware routing the iPhone Maps program itself is missing. TeleNav already makes decent GPS nav software for Sprint and AT&T phones, way better than Verizon's VZ Navigator. No word on price, but the good news is, it'd have to be available through the App Store, not as a subscription thing from AT&T.

iPhone 3G first look, what do you want to know?



Well, we got one from the fine folks at Vodafone NZ. Yeah, we'll admit, between the early peek at the not too drastically changed firmware, guided tours, and announcement hands-on, there's not a lot of mystery to the iPhone 3G at this point. But if you've got any burning questions we can answer with our shiny new Vodafone NZ iPhone 3G, hit us up in comments and we'll update here with our findings. Stick around, more coming.

Gallery: iPhone 3G first look

Video: iPhone 3G unboxing and first look


Here she is: the iPhone 3G, captured on video. We've gone through a number of the new features on the device and in the 2.0 software release, but apologies in advance if you're looking for side by side speed tests (there are some coverage issues where we're at). Video of the unboxing, new feature walkthrough, and GPS use (while on a train) after the break.



iPod touch 2.0 leaked to the wolves? (update: Apple releases officially)


Listen up children, we've got a story to tell. It's scary and exciting and might just turn your iPod touch to fairy dust if you're not careful. The 2.0 firmware is reportedly leaked (and thus cash-free) to those of you daring enough to try. We've been contacted by a dozen netizens who claim to confirm the authenticity. However, at least one tipster reports their iPod touch getting "bricked doing it from pc but mac restore worked fine." What's more, we can't find the file in Apple's XML. Still, most say it "works like a dream," installing goodies from the App Store without problems. While the original download source is now 404, we're sure you can figure out other ways of locating "iPod1,1_2.0_5A345_Restore.ipsw." Ready, go. One more pic after the break.

First Touchscreen BlackBerry Nowhere Near Ready for Release


Although rumors about the BlackBerry Thunder have been circulating for months, these have been somewhat vague on when this smartphone will be released. According the the latest information, RIM is still a long way away from being ready to introduce its first device with a touchscreen.

An unnamed source has given Boy Genius Report a description of the current state of the Thunder's development. This can be summed up with a single word: bad.


There are supposedly both hardware and software problems. Among the worst of these is very slow response to screen touches. There's a half-second delay when tapping letters on the on-screen keyboard.
Also, there are reportedly problems with this device's accelerometer.

BGR's source said, "Thunder is in no way shape or form market-ready. If Bold was any indication, Thunder won't be ready for at least another 4-5 months."

More about the BlackBerry Thunder

Smartphones with touchscreens are all the rage now, and it appears even RIM isn't going to buck the trend.

According to various leaks and rumors, the BlackBerry Thunder will have a tablet shape with a relatively large screen.

It will supposedly depend almost entirely on its touchscreen for input. There'll be no hardware keyboard, not even a sliding one, nor a trackball. There are, however, a full collection of standard control buttons.

One of the leaked images has the Verizon Wireless logo, which means it will run on CDMA wireless networks, but a wide variety of carriers are likely to eventually offer this model, including ones that use the GSM standard.

7 Temmuz 2008 Pazartesi

Samsung i900 Omnia vs. HTC Touch Diamond... fight!


At this point, neither the HTC Touch Diamond nor the Samsung i900 Omnia need any introduction, but we're happy to announce that these two have stepped into the squared circle and faced off in an epic nine-page battle. Reviewers manhandled both phones for an extended time and broke down the UI, hardware, features and overall usability, so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, cover your face and head on down to the read link. We're warning you though, it gets ugly.

4 Temmuz 2008 Cuma

Big Screen Camera Phone



It used to be that Cameraphones were phones with useless little cams attached to attract consumers, mainly to allow people to send cute pictures by SMS or to support video conferencing, which is still by and large a vapofeature in most phones.

Over the last year or so, the cameras attached to phones have become better and better, until in some models, the phone part is almost an afterthought. “What other feature can we put in our new 9 Megapixel camera, Sir?"" I know, let’s make it a phone too!”

I have a feeling just such a discussion was held when Sharp was designing the 923SH. A new phone coming to Softbank in Japan, the 923SH looks like a camera with a little telephony included. The screen is massive, capable of VGA resolution and can spin to landscape mode for viewing (no word yet if can also change into a large, fighting robot). If you need to take or display a lot of photos or videos with a mobile device, then this may be the ideal phone for you.

Motorola Blaze ZN4

Motorola Blaze ZN4 resembles the MING series in its look, with semi-transparent cover and a large touchscreen below. It is EV-DO Rev. A device with Bluetooth, 2-megapixel camera, Mobile TV and probably full HTML browser. This is the first entry of a touchscreen by verizon’s, and is supposed to do well once it is out in the market.



Motorola Blaze in looks is much like the A1600 and A1800 Ming handsets. While it is closed, the Moto Blaze has simplistic design but when you flip it open it seems to have a pretty large touchscreen display.

The features of Blaze are likely to include built-in GPS, EV-DO Rev A. connectivity for fast data transfer speeds, a 2 Megapixel camera with video recording, mobile TV and Bluetooth. It is also highly likely, that this clamshell will almost surely feature Verizon applications like V CAST Music and V CAST Video.

Agile instant messenger for iPhone


Apple iPhone now has another IM client to help its users stay connected with their friends every time and anytime. Agilemobile announced the launch of its Agile messenger which is a multi-protocol messaging client. The company claims that it’s the most user-friendly and feature rich iPhone messenger yet, it has got enough meat to prove his point too.

Agile messenger lets users to communicate on ICQ, AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk and XMPP networks simultaneously.

Its multimedia prowess lets you send images, video and voice messages from mobile to mobile and mobile to PC. And the best feature has to be the “copy and paste” which lets you to copy a certain block of text and then paste it in the message field.

The online status can be changed with a simple tap on the top of screen while it has a run-in-th-background capability which lets you know the incoming messages with a soiund.

This is perfectly suitable application if you are looking for IM on iPhone it even has easy one-tap icons for setting your online status and messages. Its interface is sleek and easy to work, highly usable.

Agile messenger works on previous version of iPhone which lacked 3G as well as ipod Touch. It’s also compatible with Symbian 60, 80 , 90 and Symbian UIQ alongwith Windows platform.