Following a limited release last month, Helio is now taking its slim, sexy Mystoslider from Samsung to the general public. Like every other phone currently in Helio's lineup, the Mysto has integrated GPS and a healthy dose of EV-DO data for the media-rich apps the MVNO and its members tend to be so fond of. Grab it today for $149 on contract or $320 without.
Helio Mysto now available to everyone
ASUS M930 gets official, Nokia styling and all
Yep, pretty much everything we'd heard about the upcoming M930 from ASUS has turned out to be the real deal, making the brick-like device nearly a dead ringer for Nokia's E90 communicator with Windows Mobile doing the dirty work in place of S60. The exterior nets you a traditional QVGA display and numeric keypad, while unfolding the beast yields a slightly larger 400 x 240 display along with a full QWERTY board. Internal storage clocks in at 256MB with 64MB of RAM, there's a 2 megapixel autofocus cam around back, and you get the usual microSD expansion, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Oddly, the whole package runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard -- not Professional -- so you can just put away any hopes and dreams of touching the display with a stylus. Look for a public reveal at CeBIT in March, so retail availability isn't expected before that.
What to Expect in 2008: Mobiles as Playthings
The year that went by witnessed some truly remarkable achievements in the mobile phone segment. We saw advancements in operating systems, radical new phone designs, and an overall step ahead for handheld technology. There’s plenty to look forward to in 2008. Here’s what I expect to see in the new year – with particular regard to funky multimedia devices that have been developed but not yet made it to our shores. The 5700 is not an altogether new design concept but a hybrid version of the Nokia 3500 with the revolving camera. The newer version, part of the XpressMusic series, looked sleeker and was even lighter than its predecessor. The latest version looks the same as the new version, only with edgier colors. Rumor has it that this version will have a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera. Other specs would presumably remain unchanged. Nothing conclusive has been announced so far, but this is definitely worth checking out. In a major effort to deliver something truly unique to a music-minded audience, Samsung enlisted the help of Bang and Olufsen to create the Serenata. It has a very unique slider design with a scroll wheel, and a 2.26 inch display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. It has Bluetooth with A2DP profile, supports HSDPA, and is 3.5G enabled. The Serenata also comes with 4GB of internal memory. Of course, the most important feature is the music player, which I feel could be a real winner. Here’s another innovative idea for a mobile phone. Although the design is essentially candybar in shape, the best part about the E8 is the touch-sensitive keypad. While the media player is active, only select keys are highlighted, and these can be used to control and navigate media files and the player itself. There’s also a touch-sensitive scroll wheel for navigating menus etc. Other specs include Bluetooth with A2DP, a 2 megapixel camera, USB 2.0 connectivity, EDGE support, and an integrated FM radio. Memory can be extended using MicroSD cards. It's worth a look-see, even if only to check out the funky keypad. The Sony Ericsson W960 is a bigass all-in-one phone. It has a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera that goes extremely well with the large 3.2 inch, 240 x 320 pixel touchscreen. It’s part of the Walkman Series, so the music player should be something you can sink your ‘ears’ into. It’s 3G-enabled and supports Bluetooth with A2DP – and also Wi-Fi. It has a whopping 8GB of internal Memory. The Voyager is LG’s version of a Nokia Communicator. The twist is that it’s more like a mutation of the iPhone and the E90. The front has a large touchscreen display. When opened up, the Voyager reveals a full QWERTY keypad with another 2.8 inch display. This 'mega' phone is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera, GPS Bluetooth (presumably with A2DP compatibility), and supports external memory with MicroSD cards. At the moment it’s available only through Verizon, but hopefully that will change. This list would be incomplete without the iPhone. Yes, it's already available in the gray market, and yes, it can be unlocked and used in India as well. However, there's a possibility of something going wrong with an unlocked iPhone. We’ve reviewed the iPhone for you, so you have an idea about the device itself, but there have been many many changes to this handset over the last couple of months so I’m hoping that when it finally shows it’s face here officially we’ll able to re-review it without worrying about any issues popping up.
Play - Part 1
Nokia 5700 (new addition)
Samsung Serenata
ROKR E8
LG Voyager
Most of the handsets mentioned above have already made their debut in some parts of the globe, but not yet in India. I’m hoping to get an opportunity to test them out, but I have no idea when. My wish is: soon. As for the official price and availability, you'll be the first to know when I get any dope. Have a great new year!
Samsung's F490 Specs Revealed
The specifications of Samsung’s F490 multimedia phone slash another iPhone wannabe, have been released. This 3G ready, HSDPA and EDGE enabled tri band mobile features a large 3.2 inch TFT touch screen display and sports a resolution of 240 x 432 pixels, so it still falls a bit short of Apple's created benchmark. On the plus side the display actually features a 16:9 widescreen ratio, which does have merit when it comes to videos. The touch screen display also supports haptic feedback. This makes using the surface a lot easier since the display actually lets the user know that selected options have been selected though the vibrating feedback.
Where it would do better than the iPhone would be in the camera section as the F490 features a 5 megapixel camera (no auto-focus) that runs a on the Croix UI. It also has an LED flash and is capable of recording video in MPEG4 format with QVGA resolution at 15 frames per second.
From the multimedia angle the F490 supports Bluetooth with an A2DP profile as well so it supports wireless stereo Bluetooth headsets. But in case that seems like too much for an average users it also has a 3.5mm earphone socket so you’re free to use any headset you may already own. The video player supports WMV, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 file formats in up to VGA resolution at 30fps. The F490 has a 130MB of internal space that can be extended with the support of microSD cards.
Samsung F490 will be out sometime in February of this year and will be priced at approximately Rs. 30,600(530 Euros).
ASUS Launches P750 PDA in India
ASUS has launched their latest PDA phone, the P750 in Mumbai. The P750 is a fully loaded Tri-Band GSM PDA phone with GPS capabilities as well as Wi-Fi, 3.5G with HSDPA and Bluetooth with A2DP connectivity. This particular model is also the winner of the 2007 Japan G-Mark Award. The P750 incorporates a host of specific business features that include Ur Time (view the time of various cities on the Today screen). It ties in with Meeting Time Planner to help facilitate business planning for meetings etc. a little easier. The Newstation provides up-to-date news and blog updates through RSS settings. Another handy feature is the Auto Cleaner function that enables operating with the best performance by cleaning up unwanted data. Since the P750 has a 3 megapixel auto-focus camera ASUS has also incorporated Business Card Recognition feature
Other features include Travelog which is a feature that allows users to record and share their traveling pictures, routes, Points of Interests (POIs) and schedules. With support for Google Earth’s satellite maps format, users can create a diary of events during their travels and put together snapshots and other interesting tidbits of their travels onto their blogs – allowing them to share with others their memorable travels as they trek across from one key point to another along their journeys. The ASUS P750’s Location Courier feature will also help prevent users from ever getting lost by accurately and periodically reporting their position to their pre-defined friends' contacts.
The device runs on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional and supports external memory with microSD cards. It's equipped with a 2.6-inch touch screen display that supports a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 65K colors.
The ASUS P750 is priced at Rs. 28,900 and is available in stores.
Spice Launches Affordable FM Mobile
On a country that thrives on its FM radio stations to provide entertainment to the masses, mobile phone manufacturers like Spice are rolling out newer base model mobile handsets with FM radios. Their latest, the Spice S-570 is a flip phone handset with a one touch Stereo FM radio.
The S-570 comes equipped with a built in speaker phone option and 20 FM channel list. What would potentially attract customers to this device are the FM radio alarm and the scheduled as well as live FM recording feature the handset has. Recordings can also be utilized as a ringtone. The S-570 also supports WAP and GPRS.
The S-570 is priced at Rs. 2,999 (MRP).
46 Million Mobile Data Users Used Mobile Search Functions in Q3 2007
46.1 million mobile data users in the USA used mobile search functions in the third quarter of 2007 according to a report released today by The Nielsen Company examining the mobile search behavior of wireless subscribers. According to the report, which surveyed more than 5,700 mobile search users who use at least one mobile data service, Nielsen also estimates that: "As more mobile users turn to their phone for the answers they need, mobile search has quickly escalated as a critical part of the mobile media and advertising landscape," said Kanishka Agarwal, VP of Mobile Media for Nielsen Mobile. "Knowing how mobile searchers find information -- and what they're looking for -- will help us intelligently engage with consumers through mobile search." Conducted by Nielsen Mobile, the Mobile Search Report sizes and characterizes the mobile search user market, examines the methods people use to search, compares usage across individual search providers and identifies the objectives people have when searching for information over their mobile phone. From a demographic perspective, Nielsen reports that among mobile data users: "Mobile Search is a complex and increasingly important service," said Matt Ward-Steinman, Director of Product Management for Medio Systems, Inc. "As a leading mobile search solutions provider, we count on third-party research such as Nielsen Mobile's to help us to better understand this exciting market."
Adobe Flash Lite Gaining Momentum in Worldwide Handsets
A report from Strategy Analytics is forecasting that annual Adobe Flash Lite-enabled cellphone shipments to grow to around 840 million units in 2012 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.6 percent from 2007 to 2012. Flash Lite penetration in cellphones grew from 11.2 percent in 2006 to 19.0 percent in 2007 and is expected to grow to 61.9 percent by 2012. While the base of Flash Lite-enabled cellphones continues to strengthen in Japan, Strategy Analytics predicts that in 2008, shipments of Flash Lite-enabled phones in the rest of the Asia Pacific region and Western Europe will exceed the shipments in Japan for the first time since its introduction. Strategy Analytics forecasts the Asia-Pacific region to account for nearly 40 percent of the worldwide shipments of Flash Lite-enabled cellphones by 2012. Flash Lite 3.0 and any other future versions are expected to gain momentum from 2008 onwards and account for two-thirds of the worldwide shipments of Flash Lite-enabled phones in 2012. "We believe that the addition of video support in Flash Lite 3.0 will add significant value to the Flash Lite proposition and will enable popular online Flash-based video services MySpace and YouTube to be accessed via mobile devices," notes Stuart Robinson, Director of the Handset Component Technologies service. Stephen Entwistle, VP of the Strategy Analytics Strategic Technologies Practice adds, "Alternative content platforms such as Java and BREW currently have a significantly higher installed base than Flash Lite. However, Java Micro Edition (J2ME) is suffering from fragmentation and compatibility issues and is more complex to develop than Flash Lite."
Pink Palm Centro now official, Hello Kitty branding nowhere to be found
As if there was any doubt that the rumored pink Centro was going to happen... well, go ahead and put those doubts to bed. Palm's website is now showing the pink (or light red, if you will) miniature Garnet device for Sprint in all its glory, sporting the same $99.99 asking price as its alternatively-hued cousins. It's apparently available (or will be available shortly) in a Sprint store near you, so if the whole mail order thing isn't your cup of tea, head on over there and have a gander.
Verizon giving Samsung Gleam a dash of purple
In case the original Gleam wasn't... shall we say, gleamy enough, perhaps a violet-ification (pardon the grossly abused suffix) of the phone's exterior is just what the doctor ordered. The midrange flip for Verizon relaunches in purple come the 27th of this month for $99.99 on contract after rebates. Tough call with the equally loud pink Centro for Sprint coming in at the same price point, we'd say.
China's largest carrier ends talks for Apple iPhone
HTC S730 gets previewed
The Vox and Libra have been largely overlooked in the US market (though Verizon's finally looking into fixing that issue), which is a crying shame considering the cool side-sliding QWERTY WinMo Standard form factor that remains largely unique to HTC. The S730 succeeds the Vox, adding most notably 3G and a supposedly better keyboard, and Tracy and Matt's Blog have given the bugger a thorough once-over. It seems that the phone is a little fatter than the already-fat Vox, a potential problem for those hoping to discretely pack it in a pants pocket; battery life was a little weak, too, with normal usage resulting in a nearly drained device at the end of the day. On the positive side, though... well, where the heck else are you going to find this form factor running 3G and Windows Mobile 6 Standard?
First Palm OS II devices to hit early 2009, is it already too late?
iPhone invading Canada tomorrow?
According to a report from the market-mindful Bloomberg, old Jobsy could be dropping the iPhone on Canada come tomorrow's keynote. If you believe what RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky says (and that's a big if), Apple will unleash the phone via Rogers Communications -- the country's largest mobile service provider. "There's a very good chance that Apple will announce or discuss some kind of other carrier roll-outs, beyond the ones it has done in Europe and the U.S." He said, adding that, "There is definitely very strong demand and interest here." To which we say, "Duh," and, "Hey, we've heard this before." Though we're not sure Steve will have time for the Canadian launch in his keynote, what with all the algae-based hard drives, unicorn laptops, and rays of pure energy he'll be introducing.
It's the black Samsung F700, except whiter
And it's coming to Vodafone Spain. We're not sure why only Vodafone would think that a white version of the F700 is such a great idea ('cause it is), so we're kinda hoping Verizon takes note.
The (Lame) CES 2008 Wrap-Up
So like I said before, I haven’t been terribly impressed with the Consumer Electronic Show this year. Why? Among many other reasons: - Yay for huge plasma/LCD/Hi-Def displays. Too bad I’m all STANDARD DEF FO LIFE, YO. Sorry, but I’ll buy in when it doesn’t make 90% of all my current media look like crap. Oh, and hardly any really cool cell phone related stuff were to be found. The only real stand-outs, aside from the ones previously mentioned, aka the “bottom of the barrel” would have to be… - Remember me getting annoyed by how so many mp3/personal media players are starting to look like cell phones. Well check this out from noted mp3 player iRiver; they just made a phone: - Yeah, it seems like everyone is cashing in on the iPhone. Even landline phones; check out the OpenFrame, aka “the iPhone of home phones”… If David Lynch though watching a movie on a cell phone is stupid, I wonder what he would have to say about a phone stuck at home, where there’s probably a television set nearby. At least the screen is bigger I guess… - Oh, and I guess the one thing that made me go “Okay, NOW I wish I was there” are these pics of the Jawbone people collecting everyone’s Bluetooth headsets in exchange for a Jawbone one. Lucky…
- Yay, faster/smaller PC laptops. Too bad I’m a Mac guy. And MacWorld is next week, giving me even more reason to not pay attention.
- Yay for Blu-ray vs HD-DVD. I stopped caring a long time ago.
- Yay for GPSs and PMPs. First off, I don’t drive and I live in New York City, so no need for directions. As for personal media players, and watching movies on a tiny screen, I think David Lynch has said all that needs to be said.
- I heard that they had Bumblebee from the Transformers live action flick on hand. Too bad that movie sucked the big one.
- I’m fairly certain that most geeks can get only so excited for USB 3.0
- Same with headphones. I like nice headphones to, but come on now.
Sprint Makes Stuff Ugly
So one phone that people have been eye with great anticipation is Samsung’s SGH-F490, mostly because of the ultra hawt “criss-cross” UI… Aside from looking user interface, its has a 5 mega pixel camera, a standard headphone jack (YES… seriously, why the in the h*ll doesn’t all phones support this I’ll never know), and tons of memory, it’s…. only coming to Europe. In February for €530, or around $790, so its also hella expensive. Oh well. BUT, it was recently revealed that the phone… or at least, a “variant” of it, was picked up by Sprint for domestic release. And here’s the first shot of the American version! Yeah, I know. WTF indeed. Now, the device is technically the SPH-M800, so it may not be the same thing as the SGH-F490. Actually it’s not; this other device only has a 2 mega pixel camera, plus has lost the flash, but confirms to America’s faster internet surfing speeds, which is a not too bad trade-off. Plus the button face buttons are slightly different, but for the most part, at least in my eyes, its the same damn phone. But with the most fugly UI make-over I have seen. It’s so ugly that it seriously makes me mad. I mean, what was the point of changing it? Just for the sake of doing so? I would expect such a hatched job from Verizon, but Sprint? Come one? And of all the folks out there, they easily have the coolest logo. I personally would not have minded the same criss-cross graphics, but instead of blue, yellow. What’s wrong; are Americans too stupid to understand the icons on the SGH-F490, so they have to be all colorful and cartoony, but worst of all, literally needs stuff to be spelled out on the bottom? Guess having it up on top doesn’t work, cuz that required the user to look around a tiny bit. For Christ’s sake… Anyone who knows anything about icons that, if you have to literally explain what it’s supposed to represent, then it fails at what its supposed to do. Like how on the bottom row of the Sprint hand held, the smiley face icon/button that has the word “fun”. Oh God… if I think about this anymore, I’m going to get a headache.
Four New Phones from Motorola
Motorola has shown off four new GSM mobile phones - one of which is also HSDPA capable, along with a gold plated version of its RAZR 2 phone. Click to enlarge ROKR E8 MOTO Z10 W230 W270 The ROKR E8 is a quad-band GPRS/EDGE phone. When powered off, the surface of ROKR E8 is smooth, with no visible keys. Power on the device and it presents a virtual numbered keypad on the front surface. With one “press” of the virtual music key, the phone keypad disappears and control keys for the music player – play, pause, fast forward and rewind – appear in its place. Yet, ROKR E8 is more than just a “touch”-operated device. Using vibrating haptics technology, the device provides the tactile feedback consumers expect from a traditional keypad, providing confirmation they have pressed a virtual key. ROKR E8 also marks the debut of the new FastScroll navigaton wheel from Motorola, a variable-speed touch control that lets consumers easily scroll through all of the content stored on the device. The 2GB internal memory can store up to 1,500 songs, and the external memory is expandable up to 4GB with an optional microSD card. ROKR E8 is expected to be available in Q1 2008. The MOTO Z10 is a HSDPA, GSM/GPRS/EDGE phone running on Symbian software. The company seems to be pitching the phone predominantly as a video recorder - with a 3.2 megapixel camera - with its phone functions almost seeming to be an after thought. The external storage slot will support an external memory card with up to 32GB of capacity, when available. “With MOTO Z10, we are turning movie making and spontaneous creativity into social activities. Now, anyone can capture and share life’s moments from almost anywhere in the world and make their unique perspective a part of popular culture,” said Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices. MOTO Z10 is expected to be available in Q1 2008. The MOTORAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition has also been launched as a variant of the RAZR 2 phone. Featuring the signature MOTORAZR2 form factor with gold-plated accents (on medallions, navigation key and hinge) and embossed in a snakeskin-like texture, this phone is available unlocked for GSM networks. The ultra-slim MOTORAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition features 18K gold-plated accents that highlight the luminous black slate vacuum-metal finish. A soft-touch back is embossed with a snakeskin-like texture, while subtle details are added - such as elegant pin stripes on the front lens and an engraved diamond-cut pattern on the sideband and linear etching on the navigation wheel. The handset comes pre-loaded with the Opera Mobile Browser 8.5, and is supplied with a 2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom and up to 2 hours of video capture and playback. The RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition is now available exclusively through MotoStore for $679.99. The device will be sold unlocked and is compatible with any existing GSM service. The company finally showed off two new W series GSM handsets. The new W230 and W270 handsets offer easy-to-use music capabilities, expandable memory with optional microSD card, clear audio in noisy environments and a simplified interface for text messaging. “These new devices offer design elements, music features and outstanding battery life that consumers don’t expect to find at this price point,” said Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Whether buying your first phone or trying out a music phone for the first time, these new models from Motorola are the perfect choice.” A dedicated music key activates an integrated digital audio player which supports MP3 and other popular formats. Favorite songs can be stored using optional microSD removable memory cards up to 2GB in size. In addition, users have access to music and news through an FM radio with integrated Radio Data System (RDS) which displays artist, title and type of song playing on the radio. Users can also record FM radio clips to use for the phone’s alarm, share favorite stations with friends through text messaging and listen via headphones or speaker. The W230 and W270 handsets are expected to become available in Q1 2008.
Converting Heat from Mobile Phones Back into Electricity
Silicon nanowires may lead the way to converting waste heat into electricity, according to research reported yesterday in the journal Nature. Two separate teams, one at Caltech and the other at the University of California, Berkeley, reported that they could increase silicon's ability to convert heat into electric current by as much as 100 times. Click to enlarge The difference in temperature between two sides of a chip [red is hot, blue is cold] cause electrons to flow in a roughened silicon nanowire An array of nanowires [green] convert heat from the temperature difference between two slivers of a microchip. Current in flowing through a heater [red] causes the temperature difference The application could take surplus heat generated within mobile phones during use, or even from the human body when in standby and convert it to electricity. Thermoelectric conversion relies on a difference between hot and cold areas in a device. Heat flowing from the hot side to the cold side creates current, which can be captured and used to power a device or stored for subsequent use. Bulk silicon has traditionally been considered a poor material for thermoelectric conversion, because its thermal conductivity is too high; heat travels across it so well that it's difficult to create the necessary temperature differential. "If you were going to make a high-performance thermoelectric, you would never use silicon, because as a bulk material it's pretty lousy," says James Heath, a chemist who led the research at Caltech. He was surprised by his own results; he expected some increase in efficiency, but not as much as he got. Thermoelectric conversion efficiency is measured by a number dubbed ZT. Several factors go into that number, and it can be increased both by lowering the thermal conductivity of a material and by increasing its electrical conductivity. Whereas bulk silicon at room temperature has a ZT of 0.01, the Berkeley team increased that to 0.4, and the Caltech team increased it to 0.6. That puts silicon nanowires about on par with bismuth telluride, the compound from which commercial converters are made despite the fact that it is relatively expensive and challenging to work with. Making thermoelectric devices out of silicon, which is abundant, cheap, and easily handled, could help create a new market for the devices. Both research teams found that they could decrease silicon's thermal conductivity - and therefore increase the conversion efficiency - by fashioning the material into nanowires with diameters of 10 to 100 nanometers and introducing defects in the silicon that slowed the flow of phonons - the acoustic vibrations in the crystal lattice of a material that carry heat. "Defects are important here," says Peidong Yang, a materials scientist at Berkeley. "They can block the phonon transport from one end to the other end, so the thermal conductivity can be drastically reduced." Yang says his group engineered defects into the nanowires at three different length scales. First, by fashioning the bulk silicon into nanowires, they made the material very small compared with the phonons so that the size of the wires themselves affected how the phonons could move. They also made the surface of the wires rough, introducing a set of defects at a smaller scale. Finally, they doped the silicon with boron to introduce defects at an atomic level. Heath induced a greater drop in thermal conductivity by making his nanowires even smaller than Yang's - only 10 to 20 nm in diameter. Normally, a wire would carry two types of phonons, he explains: one that causes the wire's diameter to expand or contract, and one that causes it to lengthen or shorten. Like a rubber band that gets thinner when stretched, the two work in opposition. But when the nanowires get small enough, the two types merge into a single type of phonon, and that slows down the heat transport even more. Unfortunately, when Heath made the wires 10 nm wide, which gave him the best results for thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity crucial to thermoelectric conversion also dropped. Mildred Dresselhaus, a physicist at MIT who had predicted that using nanowires would lead to better thermoelectric conversion, says she's pleased with Yang's and Heath's research. Their reports "represent a significant advance in the field," she says. "The applications field is now taking off, and interest in the field by the science community has grown a lot in the last two to three years." One of the easiest applications would be for recycling waste heat from computer chips into electricity. "You gain twice," says Heath. "Number one, you're getting rid of heat, which is bad in a laptop, and number two, you're gaining efficiency." He thinks that applications could come with just a couple of years' work. Both teams are pressing ahead to see what they can achieve next. The researchers believe a material with a ZT of 3 or 4 would be very appealing commercially. Heath hopes to apply his findings to other materials that might start out with better properties than silicon and be improved further. He's doing work with silicon germanium, for instance, which has much lower thermal conductivity than pure silicon. Cronin Vining, a consultant on thermoelectrics, says the commercial market for thermoelectric devices is very small at present but could grow with better materials. He says the nanowire work is impressive, but he's not ready to say that thermoelectrics could, for instance, help stem global warming by increasing the efficiency of power plants. "As they stand, their properties are not really good enough to be useful," Vining says. "But this is the very first result on silicon in 60 years that's of any interest at all."
Hands-on with a few Otterbox phone cases
Gallery: Hands-on with a few Otterbox phone casesWe wandered past OtterBox during our aimless CES march and they had a couple fine cases on display so we just had to pop in for a look see. From BlackBerry cases to iPhone -- we're looking at those here -- cases, Otterboxbrings the goods to wrap your dearly-loved nerd gear. We were particularly interested in a couple hard cases, one rugged, the other waterproof and looking bulletproof, too. Follow the link to the goodies.
Hands-on with Modelab's Hummer and Levi's handsets
Gallery: Hands-on with Modelab's Hummer and Levi's handsetsWe've seen both the Levi's and Hummer sets over the last few months, but haven't had opportunity to talk to the gents over at Modelabs or get a chance to see them in real life. While we weren't able to glean too much new info, we did hear that they do hope to see these things land over here but not with a carrier, these will simply be sold as unlocked handsets -- potentially through Hummerdealers and Levi's stores. Specs are sketch, but we do know neither sports 3G, WiFi or other high speed access technologies. Build quality is very nice on both handsets, but the Levi's set is actually pretty fantastic, we're not big on the Levi's branding, but the screen and device materials are jaw-droppingly fantastic. We only say the black iteration of the Levi's set, but the Hummer branded phone comes in yellow, and dark and light camo. Pics are just below.
Bose goes wireless with Bluetooth kit for QuietComfort 3
Bose already has a wired attachment for its QuietComfort 3 noise canceling headphones, but unsightly wires aren't really befitting a mobile warrior in the 21st century, now are they? Thanks to the FCC's loose lips we know that Bose is patching up that little indiscretion with the QuietComfort 3 Bluetooth Communications Kit that simply replaces the last mile of the kit between the module and the phone with a Bluetooth connection. Of course, that still leaves a cable running from the module up to the cans, which sticks you with a grand total of two distinct wires coming off your head -- not to mention a healthy sized boom running down to your piehole. We'd have preferred they worked on making thisend wireless instead, but hey, what can you do? No word on pricing or a release date yet, since the FCC really isn't into that level of detail.
Jabra launches luxury JX20 Pura Titanium Edition
Jabra launched this sleek thing at CES this week, with a body crafted from Titanium and glossy black accents, it is definitely looking the business. This new offering was designed by Jacob Jensen, the same fella who created Jabra's JX10 headset -- though this venture has way less gold. The device's specs are posted as having up to 6-hour talk time, Bluetooth 2.0, auto pairing, USB charging -- this is a must in our opinion -- a couple ear hooks , and a goodly assortment of ear gels. Though, with an MSRP of $179, we're thinking this will find its way onto a limited collection of ears.
Is Nokia pondering magnetic ports for some handsets?
Fanboy converts Sony Ericsson W52S into iPhone, say hello to iFailphone
Wow, talk about desperate for iPhone's love, a Japanese owner of a Sony Ericsson's W52S -- that we loved by the by, a lot -- has rocked the Romper Room craft world. Not happy with his handset's perfect beauty -- at least in our tech-jaded eyes -- he / she has opted to cover it in a garish display of tape, plastic, and foil(?) to morph it into an iPhone. We've no clue why this has happened but we're determined that the offending party be punished, because of the two crimes committed here: Ruining an otherwise perfect W52S and for wasting all those nice craft supplies.
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