January 18, 2008
HTC Pharos Spy Shot - Windows Mobile, GPS and Confusing Name [Cellphones]
We're not sure if this HTC Pharos 3470 Windows Mobile Smartphone will actually be called the Pharos when it launches'"especially since it gets people confused with Pharos, who also make GPS Windows Mobile smartphones'"but this spy shot looks interesting. The phone has a 200MHz OMAP processor, 128MB RAM, 2.8-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth 2.0, and GPS. What it supposedly doesn't have, oddly enough, is 3G or Wi-Fi; two things that HTC phones usually throw in standard. It does have the HTC Touch's TouchFLO interface, which means to us that there's no keyboard underneath. [Pcdebolso via Uber Gizmo]
From HTC Pharos Spy Shot - Windows Mobile, GPS and Confusing Name [Cellphones]
Posted by Rob at 09:26 AM
January 17, 2008
Samsung i900 Touchscreen Phone with Gesture Control? [Cellphones]
Word on the street is that Samsung is developing the i900 '" a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device complete with a touchscreen. However, unlike the F490, the i900 is expected to feature a full-fledged touchscreen that could include iPhone-esque gesture controls. The rumor also claims that the i900 will include high-speed data via UTMS and HSDPA 7.2 mbps as well as quad-band GSM, Bluetooth 2.0, a 5 megapixel camera, FM radio, 8GB of internal memory, and microSD expansion. Again, these kinds of rumors are a dime a dozen, so take it with a grain of salt. [kataweb via Slashphone]
From Samsung i900 Touchscreen Phone with Gesture Control? [Cellphones]
Posted by Stephen at 01:46 PM
January 15, 2008
iPhone Google Apps Get Better, Faster, Stronger for Macworld [IPhone]
Just a month after optimizing the entire array of Google apps for the iPhone, Google is making them even better with a quicker, slicker UI, more customization, iGoogle gadget integration and more speed across the board. If only Google's magic powers could speed up AT&T's network, we'd be golden. Details: Today, the first day of Macworld, Google announced new improvements to the integrated Google experience on iPhone. The previous version, launched just over a month ago, brought together our suite of web applications'"including Search, Gmail, Calendar, Reader, and more'"into one easy-to-use interface. Since then, we've streamlined the interface even further, making the applications faster and improving their usability. Some of the improvements announced today include: * Improved UI: The applications look and feel slicker, and they are easier to activate, navigate and use via a touch-screen. * Customization of default tabs: Now Google users can have easy access to their favorite applications by customizing the applications that appear on the Google.com menu bar. Users simply choose their favorite Google applications to bring them to the front menu, ensuring that they'll be close at hand whenever they're needed. Switching between applications is effortless, as users only need to sign in once to access their Gmail, Calendar, Reader, Docs, and Picasa accounts. * Speedier Gmail: New emails will automatically show up so there's no need to manually refresh inboxes. And the new auto-complete feature for contacts makes composing emails faster than ever. * Speedier Calendar: With our new month view, users can glance at an entire month of appointments. * iGoogle: Now Google users can access their iGoogle gadgets on the iPhone. Everything they've customized on their iGoogle homepage including weather, stocks, and news feeds now appear on their iPhones. To go to iGoogle, simply click on the iGoogle link on the Home tab. You can customize your iGoogle page on your computer at www.igoogle.com. These new features provide iPhone users with a desktop-like Google web application experience in terms of ease-of-use, speed, and feature richness but optimized for the iPhone. This experience is made possible by the iPhone's general usability and the capabilities of its web browser, combined with Google's innovative mobile web applications. We plan to expand this experience to international versions of the iPhone and to other platforms that offer similar usability and browser capabilities. One of our goals is to support platforms that are fulfilling the promise of the mobile web - like the iPhone - and to ultimately deliver unique and compelling mobile experiences that improve people's daily lives. To get the new Google experience on the iPhone, users simply navigate to www.google.com on the iPhone Safari browser. To see the full range of mobile products and services available from Google, visit mobile.google.com. If you'd like to learn more about today's announcement, Google's mobile initiatives or if you need screenshots, just let us know. And if you're at Macworld please stop by our booth (number 1268 in the South hall) for a live demo! We'll be there at 11:30 am on Tuesday and 10:30 am on the other days.
From iPhone Google Apps Get Better, Faster, Stronger for Macworld [IPhone]
Posted by Murray at 01:13 PM
January 12, 2008
SanDisk's New 12GB microSDHC Card Is World's Largest, Jumping to 16GB This Summer [Storage]
The Scoop: SanDisk's latest microSDHC card has 12GB of storage, the fattest microSDHC card ever. But! It's only a proof of concept. According to the booth reps, the actual release model in June will be a whopping 16GB, double the previous biggun'. The Catch: Um, none, except more gigs=more dollars. [SanDisk] Photography by Curtis Walker
From SanDisk's New 12GB microSDHC Card Is World's Largest, Jumping to 16GB This Summer [Storage]
Posted by Joe at 02:44 PM
Hands On Sony Ericsson W350: Like a Japanese Art Phone But Thinner [Hands On]
The Sony Ericsson W350 a small phone that reminds me a lot of the Media Skin phone a ton of people carried around while I was in Japan'"there's a razor-thin flip plate that covers the keypad, though the W350 adds the twist of music controls on the front. It's not feature packed, but it'll probably be cheap when it drops and it's definitely pocket-worthy for someone wanting a slick budget media phone.
From Hands On Sony Ericsson W350: Like a Japanese Art Phone But Thinner [Hands On]
Posted by Sean at 02:24 PM
Sony Ericsson W760 and Slick New Walkman Interface Hands On [Hands On]
The Sony Ericsson W760 is the first phone US that rocks the latest Walkman interface (it's out in Europe), which is by the far the best one yet. It's cleaner, clearer and just plain sexier than the previous generation. (Compare the W350, which uses the old one.) The major problem is that it really left me hurting for a trackball or touchpad or something better to scroll through artist lists with'"clicking one-by-one is so 20th century. The SensMe feature'"which scatters songs along a grid according to how fast or slow they are, creating selectable clusters'"also cries out for a trackball to navigate the graph with. A 4-way pad just doesn't cut it. Otherwise, it seems like a solid slider for people wanting GPS and media functions. How much you'd value the new interface is probably the biggest factor other than GPS in going with it over a lower end SE phone.
From Sony Ericsson W760 and Slick New Walkman Interface Hands On [Hands On]
Posted by Tom at 01:45 PM
OpenMoko Neo Freerunner Linux Smartphone Hands-on [Cellphones]
The Gadget: OpenMoko's just-announced Neo Freerunner, which is the mass-market version of their previous Neo 1973 phone. The Impressions: It uses the exact same UI as the previous version, but is actually really preliminary and buggy in the version we played with (it was power cycling for a short while). They assured us that the phone is really early in the development cycle. The UI looks nice and has glossy icons and not too much text (read: not too Linuxy for people who are afraid of Linux), but it's nothing you've never seen before if you've seen the OpenMoko phones. The hardware is solid and feels about as wide as the iPhone, but a bit thicker (with rounded corners). It's too early to tell how well this will do in the mass market, especially compared with the Google Android platform, but Freerunner does show promise.
From OpenMoko Neo Freerunner Linux Smartphone Hands-on [Cellphones]
Posted by Mel at 01:12 PM
January 07, 2008
Overheard at CES: Lost Blackberry
"Anybody lose a blackberry? Anybody?" There's some chuckling, but our man is persistent. "They may have two or three of these...not know it's missing." Heard in: the press room...over the sound of tired journalists.
From Overheard at CES: Lost Blackberry
Posted by Michael at 08:00 AM
