News on mobile phones, GPS devices, wireless services and applications, netbook PCs, tablets, and accessories

August 2009

khalilulloh 11:54 30-09-2009 pgmjatpmd
Susan 00:00 08-09-2009 I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Susan http://carusbcharger.com
Nokia N900 smartphone is a pocket-size Linux computer / 06:54 27-08-2009
Today will be remembered as the day when Nokia indirectly unveiled a big change into its smartphone software strategy. Linux-based Maemo is likely to become the operating system for high-end devices while Symbian S60 software is likely to be the choice for low-end devices. The quick adoption of touch screen devices has been a decisive factor for the change. From the beginning, Maemo was designed as a touch screen software, while Symbian S60 was originally designed for single-handed use with a numeric keypad. Also, Nokia already has a decent track record with Maemo touch screen devices, like the N800 and N810.

In any case, the Nokia N900 is a powerful smartphone, or a pocket-size PC with in-built mobile phone, depending on the angle where you are looking at the product. The large touch screen on the N900 a
Sony Reader Daily can connect to a 3G network for ebook downloads / 03:26 26-08-2009
Although the Amazon Kindle wasn't the first ebook reading device built on e-ink display technology that provides sharp, high-contrast letters on flicker-free screen, the Kindle sparked huge interest in electronic books and dedicated ebook reading devices. Sony was among the first companies to invest in ebook devices, but only recently it has been able to create an attractive ebook reader product range.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition is an ebook reading device with 7-inch e-ink display (E Ink Vizplex, to be precise). Ebooks can be read in portrait mode a page at a time (about 30-35 lines of text is visible) or if you turn the device sideways, you should be able to view two pages at a time. The body of the Daily Edition is made of aluminum and complemented with a cover that protects the screen. The feature that separates the Daily Edition from other products (except for Kindle) is its 3G mobile network connectivity. It means that you can download ebooks anywhere where AT&T network signal can reach the device. The rest of the wo
Nokia 5230 is a full-featured touch-screen smartphone at an easy-on-the-pocket price / 04:22 25-08-2009
Now that 1 percent of the world's mobile phone owners have an Apple iPhone, which phone 99 percent of people want to have next? If they intend to follow the touch screen and App Store trend initiated by Apple, their best option is to check out products from major brands in the mobile phone industry. Nokia, Samsung, LG, HTC all have a good selection of touch screen phones. Touch screen smartphones, however, tend to have higher price tag than other phones. There is one exception; Nokia, and the 5230.

The Nokia 5230 is a touch screen smartphone with practically all the features smartphones tend to have. The 5230 looks like another Nokia-style device. It is running on S60 menu software and Symbian operating system. For a full-featured touch screen smartphone like the 5230, the biggest attraction, however, maybe its price. Nokia expects the product to retail for under 150 euros as an unlocked, SIM-free phone. When bundled with Comes With Music service that provides unlimited music downloads without extra cost, the price is expected to be 259 euros
Nokia Booklet 3G - a netbook PC with 10-inch screen and 12-hour battery life / 06:06 24-08-2009
When Asus introduced the first netbook Eee PC two years ago, the company started a trend that is rocking the world's largest electronics companies. At the time, few people believed that Nokia, who exited PC business about 20 years ago, would return to the highly-competitive, low-margin business. Nonetheless, Nokia has made a move and returned to PC business by introducing a full-featured, sleek netbook PC.

The Nokia Booklet 3G is a small, elegant, slim netbook PC. Nokia has designed it with not only for indvidual users but also for corporate customers. The netbook comes with secure email feature. Nokia has managed to squeeze up to 12 hours of battery life from the Booklet 3G netbook. That's impressive. The two centimeter thin chassis is made of aluminum. The unit weighs 1.25 kilograms.

In addition to Windows software, Nokia has included Ovi applications into the laptop. For instance, even af
Two phone numbers in one phone: three dual-SIM products from Onyx / 03:29 20-08-2009
Mobile phones built for GSM or UMTS 3G networks have a clever feature; SIM card. The SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) is a tiny smartcard inside the phone that identifies it to the network and holds the subscriber's phone number. Since the SIM card is removable, it can be inserted to another phone without having to worry about subscription plans or phone numbers. Unfortunately, some service providers prevent this by locking the SIM card to the phone, but there are ways to unlock them.

For people who travel a lot, even more useful SIM card feature is that there are phones which host two SIM cards. It means that one mobile phone has two phone numbers. The numbers may even be registered in different countries, but still, they can be used simultaneously for outgoing and incoming calls.

Mobile phone brand Onyx has decided to specialize in dual-SIM phones. The company
Rugged hard drive can play high-definition movies on an HDTV / 04:30 19-08-2009
Frequent travellers and dudes who like to hang around at friends' places sometimes regret they didn't bring their own movie library or music archive along. Even if they carry a laptop, there's rarely enough space on the hard drive for all the good and important stuff. Not many laptops can be hooked up to a HDTV for high-resolution movies, either. LaCie has solved the problem for people who want to have their movie collection with them wherever they go.

The LaCie LaCinema Rugged HD is a hard drive designed for mobile use and for making movies viewable on a high-definition TV (HDTV). The shell of the unit is made of scratch-protected aluminum and it is covered with shock-resistant rubber sleeve. The Rugged HD hard drive has an HDMI connector (for viewing HD movies on an HDTV), audio jack, USB (for copying music and movies from a PC), and a power jack. The hard drive capacity is 500GB.
Take your own sports videos and photos with a waterproof helmet camera / 04:09 18-08-2009
People who love high-speed action sports, like cycling, surfing, downhill skiing, or skating, often love to watch videos recorded on their favorite sport. But if you want to record yourself in action on your favorite mountain bike trail, snowy slope, or surf waves, do youhave to hire a film crew? No, you just need a helmet camera. A camera attached to your helmet leaves your hands free, but you can still shoot your sports video yourself.

The GoPro Helmet Hero Wide is a digital camera that lets you capture 5 megapixel pictures and 512x384 -resolution videos. The unit is waterproof down to 100 meters/300 feet and shockproof as well. The unique feature of the camera is its 170-degree wide angle lens. Usually, the camera is mounted on top of a helmet, but is comes with a kit of four quick-release adhesive mounts, a vented helmet strap, headlamp style head strap, and other accessories.

The GoPro Helmet Hero Wide does not include a memory card. If you get a 2GB SD card, you can record 56 minutes of video or take about 20
Fujifilm Real 3D brings three dimensional images to digital cameras, monitors, printers 04:33 17-08-2009
Many movie goers have experienced the thrill of three-dimensional (3D) images at a cinema. Typically, 3D technologies have required viewers to wear special eyeglasses that create the three dimensional effect. Fujifilm has developed Real 3D technology that brings three dimensional images to electronics, such as digital cameras, monitors, picture frames, and printers without having to wear special eyeglasses.

Fujifilm introduced its three-dimensional technology to three commercial products; the Finepix Real 3D W1 digital camera, the Finepix Real 3D V1 viewer (like a digital photo frame), and a printer. The system is capable of capturing and displaying both photos and videos in 3D. First, you shoot your photos and videos with the W1 camera in 3D. Then, you can view the images on the camera display or on the Real 3D V1 monitor. After that, you may even print the images in 3D to a printer that uses special paper.
Netbook PC turns into a high-resolution, touch-screen tablet PC 05:56 14-08-2009
Ever since we downgraded to a small laptop from a full-size notebook PC, we have congratulated ourselves on the choice we made. We invested in a laptop that allows us to swivel its touch screen over the keyboard, making it a tablet PC. When we have to write, we use it as a laptop. When we want to read, we turn it into a tablet. Handy.

Gigabyte has come to the same conclusion. The company has introduced the Gigabyte t1028 netbook PC with a touch screen that can be laid over the keyboard, making the laptop also a tablet PC. The screen is 10.1 inches in size. The true surprise, however, is the resolution of the 10-inch touch screen; it is 1366x768 pixels. You better have sharp eyes or consider paying a visit to the local optician before viewing text on this display. In any case, the high resolution screen makes it perfect for people who want to view photos, 3D drawings, or other high-resolution objects.

The Gigabyte t1028 comes with Windows XP Home operating system software.
Gorillamobile can hold a camera still and provide hands-free stand for a phone / 03:52 13-08-2009
Mobile phone owners who spend long hours chatting on the phone tend to wear a wireless Bluetooth headset or a wired headset. But what if you want to leave your hands free and be able to watch a video or slideshow on your phone's screen? You need a stand that can position your phone in any angle you like. If the stand can hold your phone practically in any position, would it be possible to use it as a tripod when shooting video or when taking pictures? Why not.

The Gorillamobile product has been designed by a company called Joby who has solved both problems; holding a camera still and providing a stand for a mobile phone. Gorillamobile can hold a mobile phone, digital camera, GPS device, or a small tablet still on many surfaces or it can cling to a pole. Gorillamobile's secret are its flexible feet. The feet can be adjusted on any position on a grass, table, sand, or wherever you want to have it. Alternatively
Sony Ericsson Jalou fashion phone also available as a Dolce&Gabbana edition / 05:22 12-08-2009
People who are into fashion are not the only ones who appreciate beautiful design products. Practically all mobile phone companies, large and small, have tested the market with a fashion product. Most products disappear without leaving a trace into ordinary citizens' minds, but some, such as the Nokia 8800 series is still alive and well. We wonder what the fashion reporter Bruno would think about the new Sony Ericsson Jalou phone?

The Sony Ericsson Jalou fashion phone comes in two editions. The Jalou ordinary edition is available in three shiny colors; blue, black and purple. The Jalou Dolce&Gabbana edition has 24 carat gold plating, but it is rose-colored instead of plain gold. One of the highlights of the phone, which Bruno would love, is turning the color screen into a mirror. A dedicated feature lets you push a button and change the screen mode between display and mirror. The phone weighs only 84 grams.
Kodak charger can power up mobile devices via USB and recharge itself from the sunlight / 03:43 11-08-2009
According to the Murphy's law for the modern times, the battery on a mobile phone dies just when you need to make an emergency call in an area without electricity. Or you can't take pictures from a hiking trip because you wasted the camera battery on shooting LOLcat videos. Either way, the sun will be a practically endless energy source for a long, long time which you can use to power up your mobile devices.

The Kodak Solar Charger KS100-C+2 has a battery of its own that can be recharged using solar power or it can draw power from another device via USB cable. The fully recharged battery can then deliver about 1.5 charges to a mobile phone. Alternatively, the battery can provide 200 pictures worth of energy for a digitial camera, or 33 hours worth of playback time for a portable MP3 player. The times are rough estimations; some devices are more energy efficient than others.
Nokia Ovi Files is an invaluable service for backup and remote access / 02:21 10-08-2009
Nokia Ovi, a suite of online services for mobile phones and PCs, is a strategic bet for the company's future. While Ovi is critically important for Nokia's top management, the service still has to prove its importance to Nokia customers. The Files service, however, shows potential beyond currently available backup and remote access features.

We reviewed Ovi Files service and analyzed its potential.
Trace a mobile phone without GPS receiver 04:25 07-08-2009
Although practically every new smartphone and many ordinary mobile phone comes with a GPS receiver, the vast majority of phones don't have in-built GPS positioning technology. When used alone, GPS technology can calculate the exact location of the device where is it installed. It helps the person who is holding the receiver, but what if someone else, somewhere faraway would need to know the location of the phone or the person? Interestingly, even without GPS technology, a mobile phone roughly knows where it is and it can pass the information to others via the mobile network.

Trace a Mobile.com service can track any GSM phone, with or without a GPS receiver, and display the phone's location on a web page. How is it possible? A mobile phone should always be connected to one or more network towers that relay calls to the telephone network. The service provider who operates the network can calculate a phone's location from the signals received by the network towers.
Sony Reader Touch Edition and Pocket Edition introduce more choice to the ebook device market / 03:51 06-08-2009
Sony has been one of the pioneers of the new market that is developing around electronic books, or ebooks. It was, however, Amazon Kindle that introduced larger audiences to ebooks and to dedicated ebook reading devices. Instead of LCD screen technology used in laptop PCs, dedicated ebook devices are often built on eink technology that provides contrast and flicker-free experience similar to printed paper. Now, Sony has introduced two ebook tablets that both challenge the Kindle; one with touch screen and the other with price.

As its name implies, the Sony Reader Touch Edition (PRS-600) has touch sensitive screen. The 6-inch touch display allows the reader to access menus, open books, flip pages, highlight text, and write down notes simply by tapping the screen with a finger or with a stylus. The product includes Oxford American English Dictionary. Five font sizes are available in the device. Ebooks can be stored on removable Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD memory cards. The Touch Edition is available in red, black or silve
Mobile phones for socializing on the Internet; the INQ Mini and Chat / 04:02 05-08-2009
INQ is a different kind of mobile phone company. Whereas many phone manufacturers are trying to design products with as many features as possible, or put together a product that is extremely cheap to manufacture without any applications, INQ is focusing on phones for people who like to socialize on the Internet. Sure, it is possible to access practically any Internet services if you have a high-end smartphone, such as the Nokia N97, the HTC Hero or the Apple iPhone, but you have to pay a hefty price for those advanced products.

The INQ Chat is a mobile phone for people who like to type plenty of messages or even write blog posts on their small devices. A tiny qwerty keypad can speed up typing when tapped with both thumbs. The Chat has 2.4-inch, 320x240 resolution display. 3.2 megapixel camera is located at the back panel. Built-in GPS receiver can help in navigation. Multimedia player can play MP3, AAC+, MIDI music, along with MPEG4, H.263, and H.264 videos. Dedicated Twitter and Facebook applications automatically update new events to the home screen a
International phone calls for the price of a local call / 02:54 04-08-2009
There is nothing sweeter than discovering a free product, and being aware of most people are paying dearly for the same thing. One of the free services we recently discovered can save a lot of money for anyone who frequently has to make international phone calls. It is called Ring Plus, a telephone service that provides free international phone calls. Unlike Internet-based Voip-services that require a PC or smartphone, Ring Plus is available for any phone.

Where is the catch? Everyone knows that once you install Skype or another Voip-application to a smartphone, you can make free calls to another Skype or another Voip system user. If you call a landline or a mobile number, you have to pay a small fee for the call. How can Ring Plus provide free international calls for ordinary landline phones and mobile phones? First, you have to pay for a local call to the Ring Plus call center. From there on, your call is free anywhere in the world. Second, while you wait for your call to
Thumb-size GPS tracker can record your route and match photos with the shooting locations / 08:03 03-08-2009
We know a bunch of people who would like to use mobile devices that make their life easier or safer, but worry about having to learn technology before they can use the product. GPS is a useful and safety-improving, although relatively new, technology that would benefit from, say, Apple's design touch. Instead of Apple, Mobile Action Technology has introduced a dead simple GPS track recording device for photographers and for people who enjoy the great outdoors.

We reviewed the tiny i-gotU GT-120 GPS receiver that can log your travel route and sync photos with the locations they were taken.
LG Chocolate BL40 has the largest mobile phone touch screen to date / 03:53 02-08-2009
Our memory tells us that LG was the first company that introduced a mobile phone with touch sensitive display. Its introduction was so close to the first Apple iPhone, which made history and the world tends to remember the iPhone alone. Nonetheless, LG has continued to design stylish mobile phones with and without touch screen technology. This time, LG is likely to be the first company to market a mobile phone with 4.0-inch display.

The LG Chocolate BL40 is a black, stylish mobile phone with huge touch screen. The display is 4 inches in 800x345 pixels resolution. This means that it is possible to browse almost entire web pages. Some horizontal scrolling is still required because the most common web page design is 1024 horizontal pixels. In any case, the wide format display has allowed LG to design applications, like email, that can split the screen in two side-by-side panes. It is possible to attach frequently used me

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