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

September 2009

moo 10:02 18-11-2009 please will some one tell me the price of this phone. thanks :)
norman 05:48 14-11-2009 dont buy made in china. its crap i never trust chinese made products they are the world's worst products. you would either buy it from singapore or hongkong or perhaps an additional battery.. i bought mine from india its cheap az yet gud..
edwards 12:06 03-11-2009 hi if i purchased one of these phones allbeit a normal n97 or a mini one off ebay from china would it work the same as if i purchased it from the uk market and one any ideas please.
LG Chocolate BL20 is rich in style, short on functionality / 04:56 29-09-2009
Not everyone on the planet wants to have a smartphone with trillion and one features. Not everyone wants to have a mobile phone with touch sensitive display and surf the Internet. In fact, the vast majority of people who already have a mobile phone or are planning to get one, just want to have a simple device for phone calls, text messages, and perhaps for some music. Besides, no one says no to a phone that looks good.

The LG Chocolate BL20 is a classy and stylish mobile phone for people who appreciate looks more than features. The phone is black with red keypad that slides out below the screen.

The BL20 has 2.4-inch color screen in 320x240 resolution. 5 megapixel camera that can also record video can save photos on a removable memory card. Java applications can be downloaded to the phone. There's no Internet browser application on the phone, but only a WAP browser that provides some simple services to the device. Text messaging, picture messaging (MMS) and email are available.

Talk time on the LG Chocolate BL20 is up to 5 hours and standby time up to 450 hours. The BL2
Athlosoft turns your smartphone into a training computer / 03:56 28-09-2009
People who are serious about their exercise have used heart rate monitors for years. In recent years, small fitness devices with built-in GPS receivers have become popular because the products can add speed and distance data to the heart rate information. Popular brands are, for instance, Garmin, Polar and Suunto. But what if you want more information and functionality, something that the dedicated fitness devices can't deliver? You might want to take a look at exercise applications available for smartphones.

Athlosoft has developed a smartphone application that can do roughly the same things as a dedicated GPS/heart rate monitor or sports watch, but it can also do many things that traditionally have been available on a PC in a dedicated training data analysis application. The Athlosoft Mobile application can be downloaded to compatible Windows Mobile smartphones. Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.1, and 6.5 devices with touch screen, Bluetooth, and 512MB of free space on a memory card are compatible with the application. The application alone, without any measurement accessories, can be used as a training diary.
Samsung Corby Pro mobile phone for messaging and social networking / 03:49 25-09-2009
If size and price weren't crucial factors when most people are making decisions which mobile phone to purchase, we bet nearly all phones would have both touch screen and qwerty keyboard. The fact is that both the touch screen and hardware-based qwerty keyboard are pretty costly components in a mobile device. Both also happen to be among the largest components in mobile phones, increasing their physical size. Nonetheless, we appreciate mobile phones that have both features because we get the best of both worlds; easy typing and easy access to menus, Internet, and multimedia.

The Samsung Corby Pro mobile phone has both a touch screen and slide-out qwerty keyboard. The product has been designed for people who frequently send and receive messages and tend to stay in touch with their social networks through the day. The phone comes preinstalled with applications (or widgets as Samsung likes to call them) for Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging. Additional widgets are available for download from Samsung web site. The Corby Pro is a GSM/3G phone with Wi-Fi for direct Internet access (without having t
Samsung B7330 may look like a Blackberry but is powered by Windows Mobile / 03:53 24-09-2009
There was a time when smartphones with tiny qwerty keyboards sold like ice cream during a hot day. Thumb keyboard, introduced by Palm in the Treo smartphone was a key to Blackberry's success. It was easy to read email messages and quickly type responses using both thumbs. Lately, touch screen smartphones have been the center of the attention. Many people get a touch screen smartphone, expecting a software keyboard on the screen to provide as good usability and accuracy as a hardware keyboard. It doesn't. Tapping the virtual keyboard on the screen is slower and more prone to errors than a physical keyboard. Fortunately, there's still plenty of choice in smartphones.

The Samsung B7330 smartphone looks like a Blackberry messaging phone, but inside the covers, the Samsung is something else. The B7330 is built on Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system software, with business users in mind. The phone provides high-speed data communication capabilities with Wi-Fi and 3G (up to 7.2 Mbps download data rate). An in-built GPS receiver delivers geographic coordinates for map and navigation applications. 2.6-inch screen can
Shuttle touch screen tablet PC for Linux users / 04:28 23-09-2009
Hard-core Linux and Mac enthusiasts have been left to their own devices as far as touch screen tablet PCs are concerned. Sure, a number of special-purpose Linux tablets are available, but so far, tablet PCs running on a generic, all-purpose Linux software have been few. Now, a company specialized in mini PCs are barebone systems, has introduced a Linux tablet PC.

The Shuttle X500V tablet PC has 15.6-inch touch-sensitive display in 1366x768 resolution. The tablet is meant to be used like a desktop touch screen PC, rather than like a handheld device. It has a stand for desktop use, or it can be mounted on a wall or into a monitor arm. Everything needed in a full blown PC is included at the back of the display: 1 GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Intel Atom dual core processor, Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, USB, Webcam, microphone, stereo speakers, and memory card reader.

Shuttle expects the retail price for the tablet to be around 444 euros without tax. You can find Shuttle PC dealers from the company's web page.

The Shuttle X500V table
HP DreamScreen multimedia tablet for music, videos and Facebook / 03:29 21-09-2009
Recently, HP has developed many products for modern homes where PCs and other electronic devices are regarded tools that make life easier. For instance, when we had an opportunity to try out HP's large touch screen tablet (TouchSmart) for kitchen or living room, we were surprised how much software HP had created that complemented the standard Windows software package. Although we liked the product, we didn't expect it to find mass markets because of its realitevely high price tag. Now, HP has taken another approach. The company has created low-cost tablets that are intended for enjoying music, videos, and photos only.

The HP DreamScreen is a multimedia tablet that lets you listen to digital music, watch videos, view photos, access Facebook account, listen to Pandora Internet radio, and view photos saved on Snapfish service. Two DreamScreen models are available; a 10-inch and a 13-inch tablet. Against the current trend, HP's tablets don't have touch screens. There is no keyboard either, but device menus are acccessed with a small remote control or by pushing control buttons on the frame. The screen resolution is 800x480 pixels on both models. The list price for DreamScreen 100 is $250 and for the DreamScreen 130 $300.
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Toshiba Journe Touch multimedia tablet with Wi-Fi and touch screen / 07:03 18-09-2009
If you are a big fan of digital downloads, like videos, music, photos, or movies, and want to have a handy device to enjoy it, you have plenty of choice. Laptop PCs and netbooks are available, as well as large screen smartphones. The Apple iPods are popular as well, especially among music fans. But if you don't want to carry a netbook PC around and you don't like the small smartphone screen, the choices are limited. But not for long. The evolution has already started. Tablet PCs and wireless picture frames are turning into (relatively) low-cost, large-screen multimedia players.

One of the first multimedia tablets that may attract people who enjoy personal, portable, handheld digital entertainment is the Toshiba Journe Touch. Toshiba's tablet has 7-inch touch screen in 800x480 resolution, making it about the same size as a largish digital picture frame. The Journe Touch, however, is a tiny computer that lets you play music, videos, photos and movies and surf the Internet. Wi-Fi provides wireless access to the Internet via hotspots and 3G mobile network access can be added via an optional USB dongle. The device can play common media files, such as MPEG4, H.264, MP3, and WMA. Multimedia files can be downloaded to the tablet via W
eSlick ebook reader is optimised for PDF documents / 03:31 16-09-2009
Ever since Amazon introduced the Kindle ebook reader device, a wave of competing products has been introduced to the market. Apart from the Kindle and Sony Reader ebook devices, other products are pretty similar with one another regarding size, technology and features.

Foxit, a company specialized in PDF document software, has introduced an ebook reader device called eSlick. The Foxit eSlick black-and-white display is made of eink-technology. The display resolution is 800x600 pixels.

The device is thin; only 0.4 inches. Battery allows viewing up to 8000 pages per charge. The in-built MP3 player can play music while you read. New ebooks can be copied to the device via USB cable or SD memory card. The eSlick reader is different from other ebook readers in one way; it has been optimised for PDF documents. The product comes with a PC application that lets you convert documents from other formats into PDF. Many ebook stores also sell books in PDF format, but if they are security-enabled (copy-protected) files, you sho
LG GW620 smartphone connects to Google services / 04:11 15-09-2009
And the winners are ... Google Android, Symbian OS and Windows Mobile. Operating system software is a critical component in a smartphone. The software makes the whole mobile device tick. Whereas device makers have to invest millions of dollars in getting the software do what it is supposed to do, product owners have to invest countless hours in learning to use their powerful smartphones. Many analysts have claimed that the software running on the iPhone, Blackberry or Palm devices would rule the smartphone market. They are wrong. All these software products are tied to respective manufacturers' hardware products.

Google Android, which is based on Linux, Symbian OS, and Microsoft Windows Mobile are software products that have been designed to run on many types of hardware, they can be customized and are available for purchase, or for free. These software products will rule the smartphone market because majority applications and services will be available for them, not for iPhone, Blackberry or Palm.

Now, LG has made a strategic choice concerning its mobile devices. It will build all future smartphones on
Vertu Copy 09:10 14-09-2009 Hope it will be not a simple mobile gadget but a complete, independent masterpiece!
Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 touch screen and keyboard powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 / 03:52 14-09-2009
If you are absolutely sure you are not going to download any applications to your mobile phone, it really doesn't matter which software is powering your phone. But people who want to be able to extend their phones' functionality by installing add-on applications have to be aware of the operating system software that is running inside the device. Downloaded applications must be compatible with the operating system, be it Symbian, Windows Mobile, Android, Palm OS, or something else. Microsoft's Windows Mobile software has powered many smartphones, especially products targeted at businesspeople. The new Microsoft Windows Mobile release 6.5 operating system software running on the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is likely to mostly attract the same kind of audience as earlier Windows Mobile devices.

Touch screen software has become a must-feature in every mobile device operating system. Release 6.5 is the first Windows Mobile software that provides touch screen functionality. Before this release, manufacturers had to create their own touch screen software, which Sony Er
Motorola Cliq / Dext smartphone brings messages, social networks to the home screen / 03:40 11-09-2009
Initially, smartphone technology introduced us to multimedia devices that allowed us to take photos, record videos, listen to music, surf the Internet and access email, but now the technology trend is pointing into new directions; touch screens and social networking. Practically every new smartphone has a touch sensitive display, completely changing the way we interact with our mobile devices. Additionally, services, like Facebook, Twitter or Gmail we love to access on our PCs have to be available on our phones as well. Because the smartphone screen is dramatically smaller than the PC screen, a dedicated application or service is required for mobile phones. Motorola is betting its return to the global mobile phone market on both trends (touch screen and social media services) without forgetting the important third trend; large part of the industry is moving to open source Linux software.

The Motorola Cliq/Dext smartphone has both touch screen and qwerty keyboard. Motorola has not only developed new hardware, but the company has integrated the phone with Motoblur s
Not only software, but also hardware can be customized on the HTC Tattoo / 04:53 09-09-2009
In the late 1990s/early 2000 when mobile phones were fairly simple devices, some manufacturers marketed phones whose cover plates could be changed. You could buy another color or graphical pattern to express your attitude on your phone. Then, more clever devices, smartphones, emerged that could be personalized from the inside out. It was possible to install additional applications, download ringtones and graphics to a smartphone. Inevitably, the external and internal personalization of a product were bound to meet in one product.

The HTC Tattoo touch screen smartphone allows customizing both the inner life (software) and body (cover plates) of the product. Both the back and front panels can be removed and replaced with another color or graphical pattern. The software that is powering the smartphone consists of two components; Android operating system software and HTC Sense touch screen software. Programmers can develop new applications that run on Android software and phone owners can personalize the touch screen menus.

The key features of the HTC Tattoo are 2.8-inch touch-sensitive screen in 240x320 -
Nokia X6 touch screen music phone 02:05 06-09-2009
If you are a music fan who spends a considerable amount of money in CDs or digital downloads, and someone told you to get a mobile phone because it includes unlimited downloads for one year, you probably wouldn't believe him or her. Anyway, that's exactly what Nokia's Comes with Music service provides. When you buy a Comes with Music-branded phone, you get free downloads that you can keep even if you cancel the subscription after the free one-year period. The downloaded songs are, however, copy-protected.

The Nokia X6 Comes with Music-phone features a high-resolution touch screen. The touch sensitive display is 3.2 inches in size and 640x360 in resolution. You can copy mp3, SPMidi, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, and WMA music tracks to the phone or download songs from the Nokia Music Store. FM radio keeps you entertained if there's nothing to download anymore. It is possible to plug in proper headphones to the device because it has 3.5mm audio jack.

The digital camera has 5 megapixel image sensor that also lets you record up to 640 x 480 resolution, 30 frames-per-second movies. The phone can be connected to a TV for view
Snappy music phone Nokia X3 / 04:23 05-09-2009
Nokia has introduced a number of music phones that all have different features, may have different download capabilities, and of course, prices are different. Some phone are bundled with free music downloads (Comes with Music), others let you purchase and download tracks from the Nokia Music Store and other models can just play songs saved in MP3, AAC, and WMA format. The Nokia X3 is a music phone that lets you play music and download tracks from the Music Store.

The Nokia X3 music phone can play common digital music formats, like MP3 and WMA and video clips. The in-built FM radio can pick up radio channels without having to plug in a headset. The phone has 3.2 megapixel camera that also lets you capture video clips. 2.2-inch color display has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. Bluetooth, USB, and 3.5mm audio jack are included in the phone. Nokia Messaging email system atomatically brings new messages to the phone.

The Nokia X3 is powered by an in-house operating system softwa
The colorful Samsung Corby touch screen phone keeps you in touch with Facebook / 08:04 03-09-2009
Samsung has introduced a number of touch screen phones that have become popular among people who have wanted a high-end multimedia device. Products, like the Samsung Omnia, Jet, or the Ultra Touch are powerful smartphones. The success of the Samsung F480, however, indicates that there are plenty of people who would like to have an affordable touch screen phone that gets them online, but who do not necessarily want all the features of a smartphone.

That's what the Samsung Corby S3650 is all about; an affordable touch screen phone. Its 2.8-inch display is made of scratch-free glass. The built-in media player can play MP3, AAC and WMA music tracks and MPEG4, H.263 and WMV video clips. FM radio receiver provides radio channels to the phone. The digital camera on the Samsung Corby can capture 2 megapixel images. USB, Bluetooth and a microSD memory card slot are incl
The differences between the Nokia N97 mini and N97 are - well, minimal / 06:31 02-09-2009
Lately Nokia has given plenty of choice for people who want to have the latest and the most powerful smartphone in their pocket. Some people need the mobile power for work, some for multimedia, and some for fun. In any case, Nokia has decided to offer a wide range of alternative products to the Apple iPhone. In fact, Nokia's new power-range is so extensive that we had to study even the minor details to find out what the differences between the Nokia N97 mini and the N97 were.

The Nokia N97 mini is a touch screen smartphone with qwerty keyboard that slides under the screen. The device can be held in portrait and landscape position, the 3.2-inch, 360x480 resolution screen rotates automatically. 5 megapixel camera lets you shoot 640x480 resolution video at 30 frames per second. There's Wi-Fi, GPS, USB, and Bluetooth. It is a quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS 3G phone with high-speed HSDPA mobile data connectivity. The Nokia N97 mini is powered by Symbian operating system and S60 touch screen software.

Wait a minute, not only does the N97 mini look like the Nokia Ovi Lifecasting connects your smartphone to Facebook / 04:15 02-09-2009 Facebook is the most popular social networking service that people across the world love to access on their PCs. There are ways to access some sections of Facebook's vast functionality from a mobile phone as well, such as photos, but so far, it hasn't been very attractive or easy. Nokia and Facebook have decided to do something about it. Nokia has developed a dedicated application, called Lifecasting, that can be downloaded to select Nokia smartphones in order to access Facebook on the go.

Nokia has developed the Lifecasting with Ovi application with Facebook, allowing Nokia's software designers to go deeper into Facebook functionality than other mobile applications. The Lifecasting application allows Facebook members to publish their location and status updates to the Facebook account directly from the smartphone. It is also possible to take a photo with the phone's camera and attach it to the Facebook update message. When the Lifecasting application is running on a mobile device, like the Nokia N97, with integrated GPS and Maps, Lifecasting can update the location to Facebook. Friends will be able to view your location on a map in Facebook.
Wearable training computers from Polar get colors / 05:44 01-09-2009
Slowly, but determinedly companies that market heart rate monitors have been developing more and more features into those small electronic devices. The products are still wristwatch-size and wristwatch-style compact devices, but they have so many features that the market leader Polar has started calling some models training computers. Fine, heart rate monitors have evolved into training computers. What does it actually mean to a person who just wants to keep in shape?

Let's take two new Polar products, the FT4 and FT7, and find out what they can do. The biggest shift that has happened in the transition from heart rate monitors to training computers is the usefulness of the feedback. Whereas early heart rate monitors could only display time and heart rate, modern devices can tell you the heart rate level where you should exercise. Modern devices also store data points during the exercise for further analysis on a PC. Both Polar FT4 and FT7 come with EnergyPointer and OwnCal features that let you enter your personal (fitness-related) information to the training computer. The information is used in calculations for calories, optimal training zone, and for giving you instant feedback on your training level and other data. For more information, c
How to view live TV on a smartphone / 02:55 01-09-2009
It started innocently. First, we simply wanted to take blurry photos with our mobile phones. Then, clever engineers developed algorithms that allowed us to record video clips. Sure, it was possible to view the video clips on the phone as well. As high-capacity memory cards became common items, it was possible to store TV shows or even movies on a card for viewing them on the phone. But the most exciting multimedia feature was still out of reach for most smartphone owners; live TV. Now, SPB TV application brings TV programming also to the smartphone screen.

The SPB TV is a downloadable application for smartphones. The application lets you watch live TV channels that are streaming their programming on the Internet. Channels are available from more than 17 countries. Application features include TV guide, picture-in-picture mode, volume and backlight controls, on-screen and hardware button control also for touch screens, and TV functionality integrated with mobile phone functionality.

Check out your smartphone's application store for the SPB TV. The price varies from $10 to $15. There's no subscription fee, bu

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