CellFreakz - cellular phone trend updated

AT&T Flat Call Rate $50 In United States Starts In San Francisco

2009-02-23T21:33:00.005+07:00

For the last 24 hours, news has been spreading across the blogosphere via Engadget of the flat call rate of AT&T. It costs $50 per month for unlimited call. The requirements are that you live in San Francisco, and already been a subscriber of AT&T for 22 months, with "good standing". I suppose it simply means you always pay the bill on time, and an average user in terms of the monthly billing value.

It is still unknown whether this flat rate will continue to spread to other major cities nationwide. The era of mass telecommunication service has truly began with this lowered cost, as previously Boost also offered the same flat rate. In the future, data transfer is likely to be the source of revenue for carriers. Well, San Franciscoers better be happy for this, as they can spend hours and hours in their cell with their loved ones! Yaay!! :)

Image copied from Endgadget, courtesy of Bicycle Heaven

Motorola E11 Or E12 Pics Leaked In A Chinese Blog

2009-02-23T21:15:00.002+07:00

The next Rokr may be just around the corner. UnwiredView spotted several pics of suspected Motorola E11 or E12. The pics are from China. Sample is below.

Although in my opinion, this pic is not very convincing (look at that dirt or sort of worn-out paint in the phone), yet this is very interesting to talk about. It is said to have touchscreen, touch sensitive buttons, and 3,2 MP camera. Let's hope this is not a fake Chinese phone.

Perhaps this will not be a smartphone, considering the history of E-series, that is more mid-end. Let's have a watch on this. In the next few weeks or months, there should be more development.

Source : UnwiredView

Bad breath medicine, or check it first with Nokia N95

2009-02-23T21:02:00.002+07:00

If you have bad breath, what will you do. Perhaps you take a mouthwash like Listerine. And it's gone. Or may be you go to a doctor, if the bad breath does not go away. But, this is a high tech era, so your phone might be just the right assistance.

With Nokia N95 equipped with the bad-breath chip detector technology from AND, now your Nokia N95 can detect bad breath and tells you what's wrong with your body, based on the smart sensor chip inside your phone. There will be a small hole created that you can blow into, to enable the scanning.

It can scan what gases contained in your breath, and then gives option whether you would like to wirelessly notify your physician, and show you what disease you have.

I am not sure this will be very popular among youths. But may be among adult people like age 40 and above, this application can be very useful.

More at UnwiredView

Samsung S5600 The Touchscreen Touch Wiz UI Middle Clazz

2009-02-23T20:56:00.002+07:00

Although all our attention seem to be focused at Samsung OmniaHD, UnwiredView highlights more of Samsung S5600, the middle class touchscreen phone from Samsung.

Although it does not come with Windows Mobile, Samsung S5600 provides quite great look and 3 mp camera. It also has the well known Touch Wiz UI, the smart interface of today's high end Samsung cellphones.

Photo is courtesy of UnwiredView. More check here.

HTC TouchPro 2 Will Be Available Worlwide

2009-02-23T06:54:00.002+07:00

HTC has announced via its Twitter that the upcoming HTC TouchPro2 will be available worldwide. This time the TouchPro2 looks much more ergonomic, with rounded edges, and also with the HTC-pioneered horizontal sliding keypad.

There are no news of its features yet, but we'd better expect standard smartphone features such as office document editors, HSDPA, Win-mo 6.5, Wifi, Bluetooth, fast processor and big ram. Also interesting to think about the megapixel camera. Following HTC's comment on the megapixel race, we can expect the camera will be around 5-6 mp and no more.

Well, let's wait for this baby rolling!

Source : Mobilewhack

Motorola Ruby RAZR3 Appears Again

2009-02-22T19:01:00.004+07:00

The people at UnwiredView shows to the world, that the once cancelled Motorola Ruby, now appears again in a press shot.

The phone looks exactly similar like Motorola V3xx, the HSDPA phone. Being member of the Razr family, it is very "Motorola", and sticks to the original flavor. It shows nice and sharp display, and seems to have Symbian UIQ.

Here are the thumbnailed pics (click for bigger images) :

Hmm lovely. I think I love this phone, and will definitely check out the detailed specs once it is available. It seems to be a decent and no-frills Motorola. The reincarnation of the legendary V3.

Source : UnwiredView

LG Versa Pictures Unboxed

2009-02-22T18:49:00.004+07:00

Apparently, someone has sent a picture to PhoneArena, of an LG Versa, unboxed before March 1st, the official launch day. The phone looks nice and elegant, and the display seems very promising and looks to be one of the best in the market.

From the pics, we can see that thera are not much included in the box. Charger, and perhaps a CD or two for apps, but nothing more. Seems LG also tries cutting cost in this tough economy.

Check more pics at Phone Arena.

Source: Engadget

Conduit The Experimental Design Phone

2009-02-22T18:31:00.010+07:00

While it is one thing to push innovation, it is quite another to make an idea workable and useful. Designer Tirshathah Hunter surely practiced the out-of-the-box thinking while designing this Pantech Conduit concept phone.

The Conduit consists of three cigar-like shapes. Two of them could be detached from one 'cigar' controller. The other two are holding rollable screen, that can be stretched out like this :

A more detailed exploded view :

While it is quite believable that the device will be able to connect seamlessly using Bluetooth, but one question remains on the rollable screen. What material is it, and is it comercially viable? The built-in keypad also looks miserable. It certainly could be better than that. At least we expect ordinary alphanumeric keypad in this thing, not the jumbled six buttons that hold all characters.

Anyway, we must praise designer Tirshathah Hunter for this bold design, though may be not very much implementable.

Source : Engadget, kanYe West blog

iPhone Contenders, compiled by RBC

2009-02-22T00:52:00.000+07:00

So hot iPhone is to the stock market, that even a bank like RBC cares to put up a special comparison chart here.

From the chart, we can see that it's a really fierce and dog-eat-dog competition among smartphones. Samsung OmniaHD, HTC Magic, LG GM730, HTC Touch Diamond2, and Palm Pre are among the strongest competitors of Apple.

The analyst of Royal Bank of Canada, Michael Abramsky wrote :

"Some -- notably Google, Palm, Microsoft, HTC -- appears to offer 'good enough' functional alternatives, including PC-like internet browsing, consumer UI/navigation, touch manipulation, messaging, applications/services, carrier functionality -- with alternative hardware form factors (e.g. keyboards, sliders, etc) that may appeal to some potential iPhone customers,"

Facing the heavy competition, Apple is likely to devise a pricing tactic either on the hardware itself (reduce price), or playing around with cheaper data plan, as stated by Zach Spear of Appleinsider :

Earlier this month, both Kaufman Bros' Shaw Wu and Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi issued similar comments. Wu cited sources who said Apple and AT&T were discussing the possibility of offering customers more data plan options, including some restrictive but more affordable plans, while Sacconaghi simply cited comments from a one-on-one meeting with Apple's acting chief executive Tim Cook that suggest the company is looking into "different pricing/price points" for the hardware itself.

Sure, we can't wait to get a cheaper iPhone. But price alone won't win our heart. Features do. Perhaps Palm Pre with intuitive and fluid interface, and Samsung OmniaHD with its high-def video recording, they do really have a chance to kill iPhone now.

Source : AppleInsider

Comics For Your Cellphones Will Be Soon Available

2009-02-22T00:36:00.000+07:00

With the ubiquity of smartphones or feature phones which have big displays, it is highly desirable if we can read comics in it. Yes, we can manually scan our comics and crop the images, and read it in the phone's picture viewer. But there is smarter alternative.

According to a Trendhunter's post, digital comic is readily available for Android based smartphone, which in this case, for now, is the TMobile G1. The title is "HEXED", and will also be available in the iPhone Apps Store.

Great innovation done by people at BOOM! Studios and iVerse Media, who released this comic. We can't wait the next Superman and Spiderman, too! Save the environment by using less paper, and the most important, immortalizing our comic collection to our lovely gadget : the smartphones.

Source : Trendhunter

Applied Nano Detectors Develop Chip That Can Detect Diseases from Our Breath

2009-02-22T00:03:00.000+07:00

It sounds like a science fiction. But a report from TechRadar gives us hope that perhaps within one or two years, we will have a cellphone that can detect whether you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other diseases, through your breath.

Applied Nano Detectors has finally devised a chip that can be installed into a cellphone. The chip can detect your breath and conclude what kind of diseases you have. There will be an air hole in the phone which you can blow into, and you're done.

Moreover, the chip can send automatic notification to your doctor about the disease you have. Though, there will be privacy issues here, but it is surely helpful for elderly or kids to notify their doctors about this.

Nokia is already on a talk with Applied Nano Detectors. Let's hope this device will materialize and marketed soon!

Source : TechRadar

HTC is likely to beef up its cameraphone department

2009-02-21T09:39:00.000+07:00

While known for its superb business and sleek fashion phones, the innovative Taiwanese HTC stated , from BGR, that it would try to improve its cameraphone department.

Eric Lin of HTC said it would not compete in the megapixel race, as hyped by the flamboyant-yet-unproven Idou.

As quoted from BGR :

"We've seen plenty of research that says 5-6MP is the sweet spot for a camera phone, so would it make more sense to put a bad-ass 5MP sensor in one of our phones?

Clever. Intelligent. Why not create a killer imaging smartphone, with working 4x optical zoom, great macro support, and all the standard features and quality of digi-cam that will drop our jaws? Certainly bigger megapixel does not equal better images. And who needs that 12 MP loaded into our printers, or our commonly used Microsoft Picture Viewer.

I personally think megapixel race is worthless. People are not stupid, and they can buy great 10 or 12 megapixel digicam with much much higher image quality and peace of mind, than speculating in an exotic device like Idou. However, there are always early adopters, and these people will surely flock to idou.

HTCs are truly smarter. It may be small, but I belive it will continue to release carefully thoughts smartphones, not only bigger and stronger ones.

Source : BGR

Sony Ericsson Xperia 2 Has Some Rumors Spread By Sony Ericsson Managing Director of UK and Ireland

2009-02-21T09:24:00.000+07:00

Oh, please. Another hype spread out deliberately by Nathan Vaultier, Managing Director of Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland, at MWC 2009.

While it is perfectly okay and common to generate buzzword as part of marketing tactic, but his statement should be clearer than this vague rant(quoted from BGR) :

"The Xperia brand is not just about Smartphones, it's about the latest and coolest thing in mobile phones. The next product will be very different to the Xperia X1, aimed at a different product segment and also enhancing the user experience."

Considering the failure of Xperia 1, the Xperia 2 would better be a really cool device, with reasonable price and killer features. And let's stop the hype-generating statement. We want a great phone. period.

While the Idou is also hot on the talk, yet its promise of "Entertainment Unlimited", in my humble opinion, is simply unrealistic. Samsung OmniaHD deserves to use this slogan much much more than Idou. Allright Idou will have 12 mp, but so what. Entertainment is about audio visual experience, and Samsung OmniaHD with HD recording and playback simply delivers the hippest entertainment up to date.

Source : BGR

Elektrobit, The Perfect Phone for Seamen, Satellite Phone and GSM Phone In One Windows Mobile Device

2009-02-21T09:12:00.000+07:00

Elektrobit, or trilobit, or trilobyte. Whatever. But a new smartphone called Elektrobit features a unique ability : transfer network from GSM to Satellite network, to GSM again, seamlessly. Best of it, it also sports HSDPA, WiFi, and encapsulated in Windows Mobile 6.1 Smartphone.

Love it? If you are a seaman, then most likely you will. But Engadget said this phone is said to have uncomfortable keypad. Still, satellite phone with no huge external antenna, and the ability to switch networks on the fly, is really a neat technology applied.

Design speaking, it is quite ugly. But seaman doesn't need beautiful, glossy, diamond-etched phones. They need phones that work and can withstand bad weather for communication.

No news yet where it can be bought. Perhaps here, at the official website.

Philips Tapster Is Really A Sexy Bluetooth Wireless Headset

2009-02-21T08:31:00.000+07:00

Never before I had seen a bluetooth wireless as sexy as this. Meet the cute Philips Tapster. It looks minimalist, and it spells no-nonsense, but it promises hip features : touch control, and also better engineered product to make sure you hear the clearest voice.

You can answer a call just by gentle stroke, and controlling volume with taps. But I still don't get it. How many taps to increase volume, and how many taps to decrease volume. Of course we don't want to be deafened with it.

Shinyshiny said:

The Tapster features a FullSound chip which decompresses your music files by using its smart algorithm to give you full bodied dynamic sound. It's also A2DP compliant which means you can use it to stream music from any Bluetooth device.They've incorporated an angled acoustic design to deliver powerful sound straight down your lugholes, and seal you off from distracting ambient noise. Add to that Ever Clear technology (a fancy way of saying sound isolating properties) and they've created a smart headset which should provide you with super sharp audio,

Though I must confess I don't comprehend what that paragraph really means, but as you read it also, it promises better sound quality and better ergonomics, which means less pain in the ears hopefully.

No info on price and availability yet.

Pre Will Be Exclusive For Sprint Until The End of 2009

2009-02-21T08:14:00.000+07:00

Are you excited about the upcoming Palm Pre? Well, you'd better add a new phone number with Sprint, if you are really a gadget-freak, and can't wait until 2010 to use it. Because right now, Pre will be tied exclusively for Sprint until 2009.

Pre has been gathering a lot of praises of good reviews around the net, among others by Gizmodo which highlights the wonderful messaging menu window :

I think this phone's biggest appeal will be the central role the internet plays in the OS. The way it pulls data from various web services, and melds it into its own framework is top notch. I think being able to text, and gChat and send IMs over AIM all from the same window is such a benefit to the user to not have to switch windows for 3 different apps for messaging. And obviously, you won't be talking to someone on a bunch of different messengers at once, but over a period of a week, you might have convos over these different services, and it's good to keep track of all these interactions in one place.

Also check out seven features that make Pre wins in a boingboing blog, though I think multitouch is not really useful.. And also checks out rather political yet gripping opinion by Chris Seibold at applematters.com, on how Palm Pre makes Apple tremble.

Well, interesting point by Chris Seibold is this :

Why the sudden interest in suing Palm? Perhaps Apple is seeing the Pre as something to be scared of. That seems to be the most rational reason and the most troubling. The next iteration of the iPhone should leave the Pre looking like it was copying yesterdays news but if the Pre is ahead of the next iPhone then Apple has a serious problem. Palm has done some great stuff but most of the great stuff was back in the 90's. There's no way Palm should be able to out engineer and out market Apple (someone will have to do both to make a legit iPhone killer). The Pre already has strikes against it, all the threats do is make the Pre more desirable. It is the phone Apple doesn't want you to have.

Let's see how Palm Pre changed the smartphone industry. But, I think we forget one simple thing here. Smartphones with Qwerty vertical keypad are, practically speaking, for geeks. And how many geeks are there in the world, in term of percentage. I always see the cellphone rivalries and debacles through marketing lenses, and Palm is a languishing brand, while Apple, Nokia, and other big players are not easily indestructible, and can fight back. It will all depend on how well the Palm Pre delivers its product performance.

Main source : Engadget, and other Palm Pre articles scattered in the www.

Vertus Releases Constellation Pure, A Gorgeous Ceramic Keypad Cellphone

2009-02-21T08:00:00.000+07:00

Don't get me wrong. I don't love fancy and overpriced phones. But I am always amazed that there are always market for these kinds of phones. Brands like Vertu, Tag Heuer, Mobiado, are to name several leading brands in this segment.

Now Vertu breaks news again with its Constellation Pure series. The main selling point : ceramic keypads. Well yeah, so will the ceramic keypads smoothen our fingers and make texting easier? 99% of chance, they won't. But I personally think the white version is very beautiful one, to impress the typical spoiled American girls.

Now here comes the interesting part that screams quality :

The phones are built from steel, leather and ceramics – actually, the whole keypad and the earpiece is made out of ceramic materials. It’s said that Vertu’s designers spent two years in order to create the perfectly-colored ceramic.

Even better (oh time to rush and queue for the phone!) is what ModelVita has to say :

The backs of the individual keys have a special coating coated to prevent light penetration, and the holes were painted graphic to the perfect light dispersion over the entire lifetime of the phone sure. Each phone line is equipped with ceramic buttons and earpiece to provide a high gloss finish.

Hm.. steel, leather, and ceramics. Interesting combination. But ceramics are good conductors, right? So they mean they can deliver heat much more quicker. I wonder how this phone exterior feel cold when it's winter. What ceramics type is not specified. Well they better choose the best ceramics in the world to justify the astronomic €6,800 / $8,560 price tag.

Source : UnwiredView, ModelVita

Eco Charger From Carphone Warehouse Shuts Down Automatically When Your Battery Is Full

2009-02-21T07:51:00.000+07:00

Now this idea is smart, though technically speaking it is simple.

A cellphone charger that shuts itself down when your battery is already full, presented by Carphone Warehouse. Though its physical design is aesthetically rather unpleasing, but the function is said to "save up to 300,000,000 kWh of electricity yearly – the equivalent of £85 million", assuming that all UK residents use this. An unrealistic assumption, however.

So care to buy one? It is £23. But speaking about environmental friendliness, so what will happen with your existing charger? Recycle it or what? It would be even greater for Carphone Warehouse if it provides trade-in with our current charger.

Source : UnwiredView, Pocketlint.

Hyundai MB 490i Dolphin Adopts Yamaha Speaker

2009-02-21T07:34:00.000+07:00

Hyundai is the brand name of a car, a tractor, a ship (!). But wait, it now enters the already-crowded cellphone industry. And Hyundai's debut does not impress me, and you either. It features a Hyundai MB 490i, which looks like a dolphin. So what, if Nokia launches a cellphone that looks like a frog, will you buy it? I surely doubt.

Well, this guy looks desperate to make a dent in the market. However, there are some features worth mentioned. 240 x 400 touchscreen, plus Yamaha speaker, are not bad ideas. But the lack of keypad and only radio-knob-like control in the upfront, well that's quite unwelcome, I guess.

The back side of the phone in uninspiring at best.

So, what is that eye of the dolphin in the phone? I wonder how it functions, and whether it brings some value. Perhaps it is a dedicated web browser button or camera button, or media button.

I think this phone will sales will languish before it even spells its first ads. Yet, it's another nice attempt to add cellphone to our wonderful civilization.

Sources and image from : UnwiredView.

Iris Browser for Windows Mobile Smartphones

2009-02-20T22:10:00.001+07:00

If you have a windows mobile smartphone, then we have good news for you. A new browser has born. It's Iris. It promises full experience of web transferred to your phone. Sounds big, and I personally, do not believe it. Alas, I don't have a windows mobile phone. But if you do, please then check it here.

So far in my experience, the Net Front browser of Sony Ericsson does quite a good job. Although it does not support Flash yet. I've never tried a Windows Mobile default web browser. But the Iris looks promising. Please give it a test drive, and comment back!

Source :Engadget

LG Will Release 12 MP Cameraphone This Year

2009-02-20T21:54:00.000+07:00

Quoted from Engadget and TechRadar , LG announced it will release 12 MP Cameraphone this year.

Although higher megapixel does not necessarily mean better pictures taken, the racing keeps going, as Sony Ericsson Idou started the battle cry. Okay,.. but how about image quality? Until today, I compare that the old Sony Ericsson 3 MP digicam still produces far superior picture than the 3.2 MP of Sony Ericsson K800i.. Well, you still should consider whether you need the 12 MP. I guess 5 MP is still okay, 8 MP getting over zeaous, and 12 MP wooh, an unneeded extravagant.

Source:Engadget

Nokia invests €500 in R&D To Boost Symbian OS

2009-02-20T07:26:00.000+07:00

We must confess to the reality in the market that Nokia Symbian OS is not the most hip and fancy operating system nowadays. Android and Apple iPhone have more compelling features and interface. Not to mention the exotic Garmin Asus Nuvifone, which seamlessly integrates native Garmin USB menu with cellphone and messaging functionality. Yet Nokia starts fighting back. It plans to invest €500, which particularly directed to improve the Symbian OS to be "more competitive".

But money alone cannot make the Symbian turn around easy. Facing tough challenges from Android, Iphone, and Palm Pre, Nokia will have to amass support from developers to work together to create operating system that works inline with natural habit of common people.

That's why HTC launches HTC Touch Flo skin, and also that's the reason behind the innovation by Samsung on TouchWiz interface. Symbian does not have that kind of flexibility. It must have, and have some more, and it must revolutionize the way Nokia lovers use the phone.

Pantech Matrix Pro with Dual Keypad from AT&T

2009-02-19T10:30:00.000+07:00

Fancy keyboards-in-smartphones trend began after HTC Tytn II. Nokia N97 follows suit. But behold, if you think horizontal body-sliding keypad is cool, then watch the upcoming Pantech Matrix Pro from AT&T. It has dual keypad, yes your eyes do not fool you.

More detailed speaking, Pantech Matrix Pro from AT&T hosts dual keypad, the alphanumeric keypad, and the full blown QWERTY keypad. The alphanumeric slides down from the phone just like common sliders. No big news here. But combined into this device is the body side-sliding full blown QWERTY keypad. Two keypads format in one gadget. This is a truly innovation.

Check out the pics.

The ordinary alphanumeric.
The elegant side sliding QWERTY keypad.

Apparently it will have Windows Mobile 6.5 under the hood. Also AT&T Navigator promises turn-by-turn GPS guide. Hm...but wait, the camera, only 2MP CMOS? Oh God, that's not we want to hear. At least todays smartphones must use 3 MP camera to respect its own brand. Even teenagers' INQ1 sports 3MP camera on board.

Let's see how this guy rocks when it finally arrives for AT&T. Let's hope it delivers reliable speed and performance.

Source and images from : Mobiledia.
by Beta Ismawan (http://cellfreakz.blogspot.com)

INQ1 wins the Best Global Mobile Awards 2009

2009-02-18T13:03:00.000+07:00

May be you've never heard of this cellphone before, the INQ1. Sounds cryptic? You bet. But this device wins The Best Mobile Handset title of the Best Global Mobile Awards 2009. Surprisingly INQ1 could beat the charismatic Nokia E71 and high-tech TMobile G1.

INQ1 is a social networking oriented cellphone. It is marketed in UK only, and with contract exclusively on 3 network. The handset specs as follow :

Connectivity Bluetooth, USB
Dimensions 97 x 47.6 x 14.4
Features Intergrated Facebook, Skype, Windows Live Messenger and Email applications, Last FM
Weight (g) 110
3G Yes
Camera Resolution 3.2
Display Size 2.2
Display Type TFT LCD
E-mail Client Yes
GPRS Yes
HSDPA Yes
Internet Browser Yes
Memory 50
No of Colours (Main Display) 262144
Quoted Standby Time 329
Quoted Talk Time 324
WiFi No

Clearly the spec list does show INQ1 as a good all rounder device, although it does not have special super feature, like 5 MP Camera, Qwerty, huge memory, etc. Compared to Nokia N71 who has full email synchronization ability, fast processor, and full Qwerty keyboard, feature wise INQ1 is inferior. Moreover, when we compared INQ1 to TMobile G1, then INQ1 is way below.

But INQ1 is a success story because of its usability, that enable users to interact with Facebook and IM, and put this interaction into some usable and friendly interface.

INQ1 is geared for Facebook and IM, and seamlessly integrate Facebook features into its interface. With 80 GBP price and aimed at Facebookers in UK, INQ1 has a great value of money. Although feature wise it is slightly lagging behind its competitors Nokia E71 or TMobile G1, INQ1 wins the title because of its user-friendliness.

There are no news though whether INQ1 will come to other markets as well, with or without plan contract with network carriers.

More you can find on 3's INQ1 site, and Techradar.

by Beta Ismawan (http://cellfreakz.blogspot.com)
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Cellphone makers are going to use universal charger by 2012

2009-02-18T12:12:00.000+07:00

It is common for us to change charger each time we switch to another brand of cellphone. Sometimes even when we switch from older type of cellphones to newer ones within the same, there was a change in charger, example in this case is Nokia and Sony Ericsson, which once changed their plug charger platform. But this is not the case anymore.

The GSM Association and 17 cellphone manufacturers announced today that they had agreed to take the initiative to produce and use single format of charger (universal charger) by 2012.

This universal charger will be in the form of Micro USB, and will have more efficiency (Rated 4 stars). Major brands such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola already join the initiative and start working to make this happen. Should this succeed, it will save 50% of materials, and potentially reduce up to 51,000 tons of wasted used chargers.

This will be great news for average daily users like you and me. Because if this is true micro-USB, then we will be able to just plug in a micro-usb cable to our laptop, or desktop, or any other electronic equipment with USB slot. It will need less energy, and also much more efficient.

Strange that some Chinese brands cellphones already use micro USB charger, and it takes quite a while for the GSM Association and the majority of manufacturers to start adopt it.

Source: UnwiredView, GSMworld

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Nokia agrees with Skype to Include Skype Software In Cellphones

2009-02-18T09:30:00.000+07:00

Skype is the world's most widely used telephony chat application, and now Nokia sets an agreement with Skype. With this agreement, Nokia will install Skype in the upcoming N97 series.

Previously, Skype has partnered with Hutchison to install Skype. As stated by Josh Silverman, Skype's Chief Executive, "We believe that mobile is incredibly important to our future," "The Nokia announcement is really a major milestone. When we partner with manufacturers we are able to deliver a superior experience."

This is a very great news, with this development, you can hope to talk with your Skype's contact very cheaply. Internet and cellphone integration is becoming today's standard. Let's expect the Nokia-Skype integration to work smoothly. Because Skype is very popular online, and users will expect the same service quality within the coming N97.

by Beta Ismawan (http://cellfreakz.blogspot.com)
source : Mobiledia
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Samsung Announces Three Android Phones and One Linux Limo Phone

2009-02-18T09:00:00.000+07:00

It seems that Samsung is advancing more innovation to your door, as it announces today three Android OS phones and one Linux OS phone codenamed Limo.

Surprisingly has became the second biggest cell maker in the world (Reuters-ed), the Korean manufacturer, represented by the company's head of product strategy Won-Pyo Hong stated to Reuter that it would release more than three Android phones, and one linux OS phone before 2010.

This move is making the cellphones market much more exciting. Other than battle of brands and features, we are looking at battle of OS. As you know, smartphones are defined by the existence of OS installed in it. With OS, you can install, uninstall, and even modify (called modding) the visual appearance and menu structure of your phone.

Until recently, Symbian S60 3rd edition dominates the 'common' smartphones, as it is used by Nokia, the number one cell maker. But Windows Mobile 6.1 continues to improve and evolve to Windows Mobile 6.5, and also adopted by various cellphone manufacturers.

The latest hit is the Android OS, which is an operating sytem supported by Google, that promises integration of your cellphone with Google features. This means, accessing Google facilites such as Google Mail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar will be a lot easier through it, supposedly. However, market will test the battle between the three major operating system : Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Android.

by Beta Ismawan (http://cellfreakz.blogspot.com)
source : Engadget, Reuters
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Gigabyte GSmart S1200 with Windows Mobile 6.1 and VGA Display

2009-02-18T07:05:00.000+07:00

Gigabyte, the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer, has officially announced earlier it will launch GSmart S1200, A Windows mobile smartphone with wide and full touch screen interface.

The latest report from MWC by Unwiredview confirmed that Gigabyte has fully disclosed the spec of GSmart S1200. Physically, the handset is classy, with chrome trimming, that makes it a classic retro-looking piece. However, don't be fooled by its exterior, as it carries full Windows Mobile 6.1.

As you know, Windows Mobile 6.1 is one of the most advanced mobile operating systems currently in the market. Although some users find Windows Mobile 6.1 a little bit buggy, but in general still several manufacturers adopt this operating system into their smartphones.

Gigabyte GSmart S1200 has 105.5 x 52 x 11.4 millimeters dimension. It should be easily fit into your pocket, as 1,1 cm is considered very thin. And it also big and nice WVGA display, which means more space for your applications, images, and videos. The full specification as follows :

* 3.1 inch TFT touchscreen display with 480 x 800 pixels
* Gigabyte’s Smart Zone user interface
* GSM and HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity
* Built-in GPS
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Mini USB 2.0
* 3MP camera with autofocus
* MicroSD card slot
* 528 MHz Qualcomm processor
* 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM
* 1010 mAh battery

Let's go through the spec items one by one. 3.1 inch TFT, is nice, and the TFT screen should be readable in the sun, though no confirmation yet on any reviews in the web. But the pixel of 480 x 800 can be a little bit of problem, as it is not a common pixel resolution for images and third party applications.

Built-in GPS is a welcome addition. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mini USB, 3MP, MicroSD all are standard features of today's smartphones. While the 528 MHz Qualcomm processor is okay, it can use faster processor still. But perhaps Gigabyte tries to reduce production cost by using lower speed processor. The 1010 mAh battery however, is a bit too small. Modern smartphones that have a lot of power-gobbing features should have 1300 or 1500mAh battery. So expect the battery life of your GSmart S1200 will last in about 1-2 days.

Gigabyte's Smart Zone user interface is a skin similar to the finger-friendly interface skin found in LG Cookie and HTC Touch, though it seems far less superior than HTC TouchFlo skin. Just like in other Windows Mobile smartphones, Gigabyte's Smart Zone skin is created to enable users control the handset in easier and much more intuitive ways, as Windows Mobile is often perceived to be rather complicated to use for average users.

The Gigabyte GSmart S1200 is expected to be marketed in Q2 2009.
by : Beta Ismawan (http://cellfreakz.blogspot.com)
source : Endgadget, UnwiredView

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Adobe To Support Nokia and Palm with Full Flash

2009-02-17T14:45:00.000+07:00

When you surf the web and sees fancy animation with music and all, and clickable button in that animation, you see flash. Until recently, full flash content can't be viewed and played in cellphones. Only limited flash content called Flash Lite. But this is about to change.

Form Macworld, it is reported that Adobe plans to support Microsoft, Google, Nokia and Palm with full flash capability in the manufacturers' platforms. While implementation is still questionable, but this news is welcome in the developers community.

With this forward step, we can expect to see more interactive and creative apps and contents delivered to our phones. As you can see often in entertainment websites, such as official movie sites, or television sites, full Flash content adds a lot of spice to the browsing experience. Expect this will arrive in your phone too.

Surely better and bigger cellphones with faster processors and bigger ram will be required to correctly show the full Flash content. The digital revolution truly arrives at our door, where we will be able to view richer content in our handsets.

Source : Macworld
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New SIMSense Technology from Oberthur Enables Motion Detection Regardless of Cellphone Types

2009-02-17T14:23:00.000+07:00

Imagine you are in a busy meeting, and your cellphone rings. Of course you can't answer, but you can't just reject it either. What happened then? You just rejected it anyway. Not now. Obertrhur's technology called SIMSense enables you to give instruction to your cellphone just by moving your cellphone, regardless the type of your cellphone.

No it's not accelerometer. It is something better. You can control your phone by shaking it. Because it's the SIM that's equipped with the motion sensor, and not your phone. One application example is in the aforementioned situation. You can just shake off your cellphone, and it automatically sends a polite rejection sms. Or you can access menu by tapping your cellphones, and shaking it also.

Sounds wonderful? Check out more here. Some of the highlights quoted from prnews :

- Busy call: simply by shaking or tapping the handset the busy recipient
of the call can send a predetermined text message to the caller
informing that they are busy and will call back later
- Menu selection: the user can locate the menu of services and
applications just by shaking or tapping the handset
- Body fall: in an emergency (such as a person falling down) if the
handset is close to the human body, the smart application is able to send
a predetermined text message to a predetermined point of contact, such as
relatives or dial for an ambulance

Though it will take some time before network carriers adopt it, rest assure they will. With premium price perhaps. But this is an interesting technology, and may help disabled people tremendously.
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JBL modu is a hybrid of phone and also mini boombox

2009-02-17T14:01:00.000+07:00

While 'traditional' walkman phones or multimedia phones like Nokia sports regular tin-canny speakers, JBL has Modu. Modu is basically a portable speaker with cellphone attached. Yep you are right.

JBL tries to install a cellphone into its portable. The result is Modu. It is very thick, though, but the promise of kicking bass from a JBL speaker might make you drool over it.

There are no details about the phone spec. But it is must for a music phone like this to have an external memory and also big internal memory to store hundreds of song. We just wonder about the battery. How many mAH will it carry. As surely those speakers will need a lot of power to kick the bass and treble nicely.

Source: Endgadet
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Nokia N86 8 mp camera phone from Nokia

2009-02-17T13:43:00.000+07:00

Within the megapixel camera race, Nokia is surely lagging behind. Sony Ericsson C905 8 mp has been launched several months ago. While Sony Ericsson Idou is already teasing with 12 mp. Nevertheless, here we go, the late upgrade of N85, the 8 megapixel cam multimedia slider phone from Nokia.

While sporting no major upgrades other than 8 mp cam and dual LED, the Nokia N86 sticks its design to standard N-series. Roundish. Black. With rather minimalists buttons. Being a slider, the keypads are no-nonsense oval shaped.

Featured in a Nokia's Far East showcase in Singapore, Nokia N86 gathers not so good response in blogosphere. Most Nokia enthusiasts are not very interested with the proposition. Being positioned as a member of N-series family, Nokia N86 only uses regular LED. Although there are two LEDs, but everybody who has been using camera phones know that Xenon flashlight is way way stronger and brighter than ordinary LEDs.

One positive feature is that it includes standard 3.5 mm earphone jack, so yes you can plug in your favourite Sennheiser earphones directly. It is also pre-installed with Ovi, an application store service by Nokia.

Compared to other offerings in the market, this Nokia N86 does not offer much. Samsung Innov8 with strong imaging features, or the latest Samsung OmniaHD surely packs more. Samsung OmniaHD even gets High definition video recording and playback ability. A far far better valued phone compared to N86.

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Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman with 8 mp camera announced!

2009-02-16T14:05:00.001+07:00

Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman with 8 mp camera announced!
CellFreakz Blog
by Beta Ismawan

Sony Ericsson W995 has been officially announced by Sony Ericsson. W995 is a high end sliding Walkman phone with 8 mp camera. W995 has 118 mb internal memory, and ships with 8 GB memory stick.

The display is 2.6" which supports 262k colors. Sony Ericsson W995 will be available in three colors : progressive black, cosmic silver, and energetic red.

Additional great features also on board W995 : aGPS, Google Maps™, Wayfinder Navigator™, Wi-Fi™, DLNA Certified™ and full PlayStation3 compatibility. With these features, you can adventure and go anywhere carrying W995.

Minor but useful feature of W995 is the phone stand, that enable you watch video on your with phone standing on the table.

Full specs here. And more images here.

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Sony Ericsson 12 mp camera officially codenamed Idou

2009-02-16T12:57:00.000+07:00

Sony Ericsson 12 mp cameraphone officially codenamed Idou
CellFreakz Blog
by Beta Ismawan

While the 12 mp cameraphone from Sony Ericsson is still under development, Sony Ericsson 12 MP Idou has been officially announced. It is a 12.1 megapixel cameraphone with 3.5 inch touchscreen display. The resolution of the display is 640x320.

The phone has been codenamed "Idou", but it will not be the official name when released. Below are some images captured from its official website.

Front looks convincing with generous near-edge display. There are three thin buttons in the lower part. Apparently no physical keypad whatsoever, so we'd better pray it comes with regular virtual keypad to enable single handed SMS-ing just like common phones.

The rear part is simple, Cybershot-ish style of layout. Wew, that's 12 mp camera we are looking at!

A quite simple and stylish button. Unclear what it is. Possibly camera or dedicated browser button.

Samsung OmniaHD is powered with 720P HD-video recording

2009-02-16T11:36:00.000+07:00

Samsung OmniaHD is powered with 720P HD-video recording
CellFreakz Blog
by Beta Ismawan

Samsung does not have reputation for strong imaging phones. Often this trait goes to Nokia N-series or Sony Ericsson Cybershot series. However, this will surely change with the SamsungOmniaHD. This super imaging gadget is able to record 720P HD video recording, and able to play HD video, with 3.7 inches AMOLED display.

720p in HD, by the way, means the amount of lines embedded within the signal. As a comparison, standard DVD quality is 480p. Currently the highest resolution is 1080p. So, we can expect that 720p from Samsung OmniaHD produces higher quality image than ordinary DVD.

While AMOLED, is a kind of advanced LED display technology, with following advantages:

Very thin and lighter weight
Greatly minimized propensity for breakage
Lower-power, highly rugged with superior image quality, and low cost compared to the current LCD displays
Due to their inherent ruggedness, allow a unique form factor of conformability and rollability during use, transportation and storage.

Based on above AMOLED features, then Samsung OmniaHD should have better than average battery life.

With 8 mp onboard, SamsungOmniaHD is still behind compared to Sony Ericsson Idou's 12 mp camera. But like we often hear, bigger is not always better!

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Microsoft Recite Voice Technology for Windows Mobile 6.5 Revealed

2009-02-16T10:20:00.000+07:00

Microsoft Recite Voice Technology for Windows Mobile 6.5 Revealed
CellFreakz Blog
by Beta Ismawan

Microsoft releases Microsoft Recite, a search-enabled voice note for Windows Mobile 6.0 and above. The application enables you to search for a query within your voice notes, by providing a search ability.

Though does not seem to be a very special feature, this voice searching ability can become quite handy for you who are too busy to type on your PDA to recall notes.

Microsoft provides a download link here, for you Windows mobile 6.0 to download and try it.

Source : Endgadget

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Samsung Flower shaped Bluetooth Speaker BSP 600 Revealed

2009-02-16T08:22:00.002+07:00

Samsung Flower shaped Bluetooth Speaker BSP 600 Revealed
CellFreakz Blog
by Beta Ismawan

Samsung has got passed its flower-shaped bluetooth speaker through FCC. While commonly phone accessories is cooked into ordinary and easy-to-use shapes, the flower bluetooth definitely has a very artistic and retro look, which easily reminds you of 1960s.

The Samsung flower bluetooth is capable of music streaming from your phone or any other bluetooth enabled device. It can also handle receiving calls just like common bluetooth handsfree, and it works within standard bluetooth range, the radius of 10 m or 30 feet.

This thing surely can spice up your bedroom or living room. It is already approved by FCC and we can expect you can see it in your favorite cellphone stores nearby soon.

Source : Engadget

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Samsung and Texas Instruments To Offer Projector Phone

2009-02-15T12:33:00.000+07:00

Samsung and Texas Instruments To Offer Projector Phone
by Beta Ismawan (http://cellfreakz.blogspot.com)

Samsung Mobile and Texas Intruments announced today the first Samsung mobile phones with Embedded Projection based on the DLP(R) Pico(TM) Chipset. In plain English, it is a new Samsung Mobile phone with projector ability. This device will enable you to do presentation without carrying a laptop and plugging it into an LCD projector.

Prnewswire reports that

"image of up to 50 inches is possible depending on ambient light conditions."

Furthermore, the DLP Pico (TM) chipset is said to produce stellar image quality and enables projecting the image in any kinds of surface. It is quite hard to believe. But let's wait some more feedback from early adopters people.

DLP technology itself is a proprietary technology of Texas Instruments, and used in projectors and video projectors, and was originally developed back then in 1987.

With the expertise of DLP technology from Texas Instruments, Samsung can steal significant market share in mobile professionals, as this device projecting capability can become a very handy feature for the road warriors.

Though the pic shows that the phone is a little bit on bulky side, but it is justifiable for the extra projector that requires some space in the unit. If the phone can realistically project bright, 50 inch image, then it should be equipped with Windows Mobile to accomodate Office documents necessity for the busy executives.

Handset will be marketed in Korean market with code w9700, and in Europe it will be marketed as I7410.

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Source : PRNewswire

Sony Ericsson W395 : new basic Walkman phone

2009-02-13T22:22:00.000+07:00

Okay. Didn't I mention there are already too many Walkman models launched by Sony Ericsson? Now the Japan-Swedish duet throws again another so-so Walkman phone, the basic Sony Ericsson W395. It's basic because it is a no-3G phone, and with no-GPS.

Entitled with the sacred "W" title, the Sony Ericsson W395 offers high quality walkman engine, decent display, 2 megapixel camera, and sliding form. It ships with 1 GB memory stick micro card. Roughly it can contains about 400 mp3 songs. It comes up in two options of color, titanium or grey. The picture I think shows the titanium example.

It is a great looker, but beyond that there is nothing really special. But Sony Ericsson seems target youth and first time user with this Walkman. Not the hard core like you and me. If that is the case, then Sony Ericsson W395 can succeed with its great look and quite generous memory capacity.

If it is launched last December, Sony Ericsson W395 could have been a cool Xmas gift for your kid or nephew.

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T Mobile G1 with Moxier Mail now supports push email with Microsoft Exchange

2009-02-13T22:04:00.000+07:00

Akibahara reports that G1 now supports Microsoft Exchange with Moxier Mail. This is so far the first solution I've ever heard for email syncing for Android OS. Push email is a very popular feature, this feature alone makes Blackberry got the nickname "Crackberry", since the ability to receive and reply emails in real time hooked so many people addicted. There are even stories people replying emails via Blackberry when they are in the toilet at their home (!). Even Barack Obama got addicted. Sure it's crack, hence Crackberry.

Now Nokia Communicator range, Sony Ericsson G series, and TMobile G1 all supports push email. Research In Motion, Blackberry manufacturer, should be very careful watching this trend, as it relies heavily on the popularity of push email to sell Blackberries handset.

Though we should wait and hear more hands-on reviews by users on Moxier Mail implementation, nevertheless this is a very welcome development. This will make RIM and Nokia work hard to figure out how they can excel above TMobile G1.

Source : Akibahara permalink

Pantech IM-S410 : Blow Recognition Phone

2009-02-13T21:49:00.000+07:00

Okay, this may be the most unworthy post I ever written. But hey, this is something unique. Meet Pantech IM-S410, the phone with wind -or I'd rather say blow- recognition. So you blow the microphone, and it can recognize the wind from your holy mouth. It is marketed in Korea only for now by Pantech, and apparently come loaded with apps that make the blow recognition feature as an alternative way to control the apps.

As quoted from Akibahara website :

Apparently it can recognize the sensitivity and wind dynamics to later on be used on internal applications like games, photo galleries, video, and so on.

The girl is pretty, but is the phone? Personally I'd think this feature is quite useless. Perhaps Pantech should try to make a medic phone, the one with pulse sensor for instance, or blood pressure sensor. That is much more handy, then persuading us to blow and play games with our whistle. Come on, Pantech, you can do better than this!

Source : Akibahara permalink

LG Solar Powered Phone And The Solar Powered Trend

2009-02-13T21:23:00.000+07:00

We already knew that Samsung created the gorgeous Blue Earth cellphone, and now Samsung's Korean counterpart, LG, also announced its own solar cell phone. This time, the deal is more concrete, LG promised to give you 3 minutes talk time for 10 minutes cellphone exposure to the sun.

While it seems novel and innovative, we should really question whether solar powered phone is really beneficial or only a fad. Actually, most common folks work in indoor environment. There are only a handful day jobs that require people to work outdoor under the sun. Police, Army, Pilots, Field Engineers, Extreme sports athletes, perhaps. But these kind of people may find military standard phones more suitable.

I have an idea here. Why not combine the ruggedness of military standard phones with solar cell? Wouldn't it be great? Because if I were a sergeant in a drill, and my cellphone gets low battery, I can't risk my career by running out of my training only to charge the phone. But may be I can ask my friend to just expose the phone to the sun. Still...this kind of scenario is too far fetched.

And let's get real, common folk like you and me will not have the time to fry our phone under the sun for 10 minutes to get 3 minutes talk. We are too busy with our emails and phones and fax that come to our desk. And come on, that electrical plug is always within reach either at home or in office, so plugging in charger is much more convenient, and much more make sense. So, there is really no practical need for these solar powered phones. It's just a fad that will be gone before you know it!

Moreover, who needs this solar powered charger, unless you are Lara Croft. Though, again, we never see Lara Croft use a cellphone during her adventures ! :)
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Sony Ericsson gets married with Facebook, The Child : Sony Ericsson C510

2009-02-13T16:19:00.000+07:00

Sony Ericsson could not resist the temptation of Facebook, and it launches the new Sony Ericsson C510. At first I thought this would be another Cyber shot series from SE, but apparently, the handset is already optimized for messaging. Yep, one most notable feature is you can set your sms displayed as if it was chat session. So you can sms-chat, or even mms-chat, since you can insert pic or vid to your message on the fly.

But the story of Sony Ericsson C510 is it's heavily geared for accessing Facebook. Once your Facebook account is set up in the phone, the updates of your Facebook's friends status etc will appear in your phone. Sony Ericsson C510 also enables you to upload your pic directly to Facebook right after taken. There are not yet detail review on these features yet.

As Facebook has topped as the winner of social networking sites, quite likely other cellphone manufacturers begin to create device geared to Facebook just like Sony Ericsson did. Blackberry has also been providing Facebook for Blackberry to download.

So, have you updated your status, friend? :)

Source : Unwiredview.permalink

Archos Internet Media Tablet Phone To Use Android OS

2009-02-13T15:04:00.000+07:00

Tablet phone is something of a fancy concept, but not anymore, as PCWorld reports that Archos has announced it is currently developing a 5 inch tablet phone with Android OS.

The Achos Internet Media Tablet will feature high resolution 5 inch touch screen display, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA connectivity, full telephony function, TV Recording and HD Playback, Video storage up to 500 GB, 10mm casing, and Adobe Flash support.

The scary thing for cellphone manufacturers, is that the Archos is going to be a very serious threat since it has fully functional cellphone capability. As Prnewswire put it :

Providing new ways for consumers to access feature-rich content and connect with others, ARCHOS, an award-winning technology innovator and leader in the portable media player market, announced plans to extend its product line with a new ultra-thin Internet Media Tablet (IMT) combined with a mobile phone, by merging Google's Android telephony stack and the ARCHOS' multimedia framework. This new IMT will also incorporate the OMAP(TM) 3 platform from Texas Instruments, Incorporated (TI)
....
With the integration of voice, ARCHOS is looking to expand beyond portable media players to provide solutions for the converged space, where a foundation in high-quality video content delivery is a benefit.

This fact will make us realize two new trends in the world of gadgetry, first is that other gadgets are beginning to equip themselves with GSM slot card, practically make them cellphone, uber cellphone perhaps, owing to their exceptional ability in their respective gadget domain. With GSM slot card and HSDPA ability, netbooks will be "cellphones" with strong processor, 160 GB storage, and plenty memory to go around. GPS Devices will be super cellphone with strong GPS feature, as in Nuvifone G60. This has been done. AcerONE, and HP Mini for example, also equips themselves with GSM SIM card slot.

Second trend, is that Android OS starting to pop up in all kinds of devices, not only on cellphones as the Open Handset Alliance intends to be, but also starting to appear in portable av device (Archos). We can expect a few years down the road, Android OS will be used by other manufacturers in their gadgets..probably even your television. Nice insight from Venturebeat here.

Time to think whether Google is becoming a de-facto monopoly, with its domination of search engine, it is likely Android OS will also dominate gadgetry world, as every gadget will be connected to the Internet, and Internet, practically speaking, is ruled by Google.

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Garmin and Asus join their brands in the upcoming refrehsment of Nuviphone G60

2009-02-13T14:23:00.000+07:00

Previously Asus had announced that it will launch its own Eee phone. Though it is quite doubtful, Asus seemed to hope it can capitalize the brand equity of its current Asus Eee notebook range.

However, according to PC World, just recently Garmin and Asus announced that they will release Garmin-Asus phone, which will refresh the current Nuvifone G60.

Already a powerful device, Nuvifone G60 is simply a GPS device with embedded HSDPA and GSM. Plus some more : Wifi, 4 GB On Board Memory, 128 MB RAM, Micro-SD (HC Capable) up to 16 GB support, Linux OS, document viewer, 3 Mp camera, huge 3"55 touch screen, and full email and Outlook support. Wow, quite awesome features for Garmin who never enter cellphone business before. With such features, actually Nuvifone G60 can easily beat Nokia Navigator series, but due to its weak marketing effort, we see Nuvifone not widely used nowadays.

It will be interesting to see what features will be added with the joint venture of Garmin-Asus. Asus is renowned for its ultra slim Eee notebook, so may be the Nuvifone G60 will have its body slimmed down?

Source : Unwiredview, Nuvifone
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Samsung announces Blue Earth, solar powered phone

2009-02-13T11:14:00.000+07:00

Samsung has just announced today the Blue Earth, a solar powered touch screen phone. The Korean manufacturer claims that Blue Earth gets enough energy to make call anytime via solar panel in the back of the phone. If it does live up to its claim, it will be interesting to measure Blue Earth's battery life with regular use.

There are no more details however on specs. If only Samsung Blue Earth able to load micro-SD, play mp3/mp4, and HSDPA, this will be an amazing treat to all of us. Yet these features are energy hogs, so let's not give too much expectation that all of these features will be available in the Blue Earth.

From design perspective, Samsung Blue Earth is beautiful, with smooth rounded edges, and blue color that reminds us of a blue pebble. The phone body is made of PCM, a form of plastic which is extracted from water bottles.

The picture shows gorgeous screen, and a feature that enables you to count the step you've taken (pedometer), and how many equivalent trees you have saved from your walk. A cleverly implemented idea that match the whole theme of the phone.

According to Pocketlint, it will be available in second half of 2009 in UK.

Of course there are previous attempts by Nokia and NEC on this eco-friendly thingy phone. But apparently there are not enough economic motive (read : less profit) for them to keep this thing going. Let's see whether Blue Earth can sell well in UK, and the world, so we can talk with blue pebbles which glows and only need the sun to power it up. You've got the idea.

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Five best Android apps for your G1

2009-02-12T11:39:00.002+07:00

It's been a while since T-Mobile's G1 android device launched. And if you wonder what is so special about Android-powered cellphones such as G1, then just like any other OS, it is the applications that make the difference.

Here we will do a quick review of five most interesting Android application according to MobileChoiceUK.

Cooking Capsules

This app is built on a simple idea, that you need assistant or mentor, or whatever you call it, when you cook. It combines video of cooking, shopping instruction, and cooking instruction. Though quite likely you need to have wide enough table or big enough pocket to keep your G1 safe while cooking :)

Wikitude

Never get lost again with Wikitude. This uber application stands out because it combines GPS power with map application and more.. it has interactive database, which I call, on-the-fly guide. So you can use your camera handset, and Wikitude will tell you what you see. This is awesome. As the official site says :

The truly compelling feature is the augmented reality cam view, users may hold the phone’s camera against a spectacular mountain range and see the names and heights displayed as overlay mapped with the mountains in the camera. Users may look out of an airplane window to see what is down there. Users may walk through a city like Seville, Spain, holding the phone’s camera against a building and Wikitude tells what it is.

To illustrate the point, let's check these pictures out :

An alley in Sevilla, where you can point your camera, and Wikitude tells you what building it is
City scenery, which you point G1's camera to it, and notifications from Wikitude depicts each building's name

Shop Savvy

As shoppers, we often compare prices before we buy something. Now in mobility era, you might ask how to compare prices on the go, with your cellphone. Well, one of the answer is using Shop Savvy. It is designed to scan a product barcode, then tell you the comparison of price across local stores and online stores. This is excellent because it saves your time and effort to gather prices online. Although does not work 100% as it is still in beta, and it is not always easy to scan the barcodes, you can download and try it here.

You scan the bar code until it beeps and green notification appears

then web price and local price appears on screen

Tipper

If you hang out with your friends and dine out in a casual restaurant, of course you had ever experienced calculating and dividing the tip, which could be very awkward and uncomfortable. You have to calculate fast, and you then divide it to how many people dine together. This is where Tipper plays its role. Tipper looks very simple, but it does the job well.

You can input simple numbers, how many people pay the tips, the percentage of tip, and how many each diner pays. Straightforward and useful.

Mario Simulator

verybody loves Mario, and Mario kicks again aboard G1. The great thing is, you control Mario using the built-in motion sensor. Very fun as you move your G1, and Mario will jump. You move right, Mario walks. No wonder this simple application is very attractive.
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Gigabyte will introduce new Win-mo S1200 smartphone soon

2009-02-12T11:23:00.000+07:00

The Taiwanese manufacturer, Gigabyte, will announce a new Win-mo smartphone, the S1200 . No further details except it will run Win-Mo 6.1 and powered by 528MHz Qualcomm 7200A CPU.

We can expect it must have HSDPA and full office editor and 8 MP camera, not to mention support to modern lifestyle features such as Facebook Mobile, Flickr, YouTube all installed inside. Otherwise it canoot become a device that Unwiredview says it will be, an "Iphone killer"

Let us hang on and see what Gigabyte has to offer us. In the meantime, Iphone and Nokia 5800 still rocks!

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A former Palm employee is uncertain about Pre's marketability

2009-02-12T10:54:00.001+07:00

Following the news from Palm itself that there will be no more PalmOS used in Palm devices and that they will use the new WebOS in its Pre handsets, it is interesting to see what a former Palm employee thinks about Pre.

His name is Michael Mace, and he is one of the leading experts in the industry. As quoted from Precentral.net :

"Mobile devices that sell well usually have a well-defined market of people who look at them and say, "that one's perfect for me."... [The Pre is] apparently perfect for people who want a compromise between a Blackberry and an iPhone, but don't need the best of either. Who are those people? And are there enough of them to make a business for Palm? I honestly don't know."

WebOS is said to be a 'hybrid concept' of Blackberry OS and Iphone. But has Palm done their homework before launching it? It seemed that Pre did not have the pull factor required, or any other definitive killer features to make users switch.

The latest news quoted from Engadget shows that Pre can do bluetooth tethering, but the lack of MicroSD is almost unforgiven. How can Palm release microSD slot-less device while other established manufacturers, such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and BlackBerry always provide one?

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i-mate 810F : the first Windows Mobile in military standard casing

2009-02-12T09:04:00.001+07:00

Well, this smartphone may not be for everyone. While most of you who use smartphones do not work in dusty, outdoor environment, i-mate provides an option for you who do. Open that email, browse with your favorite mobile IE, and edit more Word documents, on the go, in the field, under the rain if necessary, with the new i-mate 810F.

It is a win-mo device, protected with military standard casing. An interesting offer. And no, you don't have to be a geologist or archaeologist to feel the benefit of the device protective feature. Sometimes we feel the urgent need to answer that call or send that sms under the rain. Or sometimes our phone fall to our bathtub during those lazy Saturday morning bath. Then, this i-mate fellow will do the trick to get out of those situations alive and kicking.

Dust resistant, shock resistant, water resistant, operating temperature from -10 C to 60 C. Military standard in short. Additional features include GPS, impact resistant touchscreen display (though undefined yet what kind of impacts it can go through), 2 MP camera, built-in digital compass, and quite quick 624 Mhz processor for present standard. Unclear how many RAM it will have, or whether external memory slot is present. But any serious Win-mo device should have the slot.

Source : Unwiredview, Mobilechoice
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Sony Ericsson AB-900 : Innovative Car Kit from Sony Ericsson

2009-02-11T15:17:00.000+07:00

When you're driving in highway and suddenly your boss calls you, you know how hard it is to concentrate to the call while keeping car's speed and course right. Well that's why car kits created. Nokia has been providing lots of types for these kits, while it's quite a while since we heard of Sony Ericsson car kits.

Sony Ericsson just announced AB-900. Essentially, it is a car kit, plus some more features. It can wirelessly stream music from your phones, so you never run out of songs when you have long driving. AB-900 also equipped with 5 buttons to shortcut call to your 5 favorite numbers. And it can also store radio. The best part, though, it does not need any installation and battery operated. Most likely the sound will come out from the device internal speaker, though there is no confirmation yet about this.

The competition Nokia CK 600 offers bigger color display, and other features of Sony Ericsson AB-900, as well, except that Nokia CK 600 did not have FM radio in it. Aesthetically speaking, Nokia wins. The drawback of Nokia CK 600 though, is inflexible, because it has to be installed into car's electricity system. With Sony Ericsson AB-900, you can take it to any other cars you have without having to uninstall it.

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Sonim Sonim XP 3 Enduro : The undestructible phone from Sonim

2009-02-11T14:31:00.000+07:00

If you never heard of Sonim before, that's perfectly fine. Not only because Sonim does not put aggressive marketing efforts as other manufacturers do, but also because Sonim's phone serves a specific niche, those who work and play outdoor activities intensively.

These people need a phone that can go with them through air, water (1 meter deep for 30 minutes only though), and remains working after some light fall. Hence the military standard Sonim XP3 Enduro.

This phone is the second release of Sonim XP series. The older model is Sonim XP1. There is the facelift of the navigational buttons of XP3, and a few strengthened features. That is, the XP3 can now withstand 2 meter fall to concrete, compared to 1,6 meter drop resist of XP1.

XP3 is also water proof, which is IP-57 certified, submersible to 1 meter depth of water. XP1, on the other hand, is only IP-54 certified, it's only water resistant but not submersible.

Other than that, XP3 has the same features compared to XP1.

Definitely not everybody's phone, since neither XP3 nor XP1 carry any entertainment feature whatsoever.

No MP3 player, no memory card slot, no camera, only the indestructibility of the phone.

So care for a tough life?

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Motorola Adventure V750 : the not-ugly military standard phone

2009-02-11T14:03:00.000+07:00

As we can see from Sonim, Sanyo, and Motorola i365IS, military standard phones usually don't come up in pretty faces. Straightly speaking, they are ugly. Primarily because they are often blanketed with some kind of rubber which protects water, dust, and shock protection required for the standard. And for the market segment who buys military standard phones, physical design is often not important.

But Motorola offers something different here, let me introduce the tough member of V-series, Motorola Adventure V750. Don't be fooled by its look. It may look like just another V-series Motorola, but this guy qualifies the military standard phone. This mean it can withstand rain, dropped from 1 meter height to a concrete, and shock and dust resistant.

It is CDMA2000 1X 1900/800 band and locked by Verizon, offers 1000 contacts capacity, and a 2 MP camera, with 128 memory on board. Well you can save and play like 20 songs with this capacity. But no external memory slot.. quite understandable because external slot can expose the phone's internal memory to water or dust. Surprisingly it also features aGPS, which can be handy feature to locate yourself on a map.

Source : Cnet
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Motorola i365IS : military standard phones from Motorola

2009-02-09T20:50:00.000+07:00

During last 2 years, a few manufacturers have released military standard cellphones. In plain English, these phones are claimed to have passed awful tests, such as dipping into 1 meter deep of water for 30 minutes, exposed to simulated rain for 30 minutes, dropped into concrete from 1 to 1.5 meter height, and dust proof. Several names are: Sonim, Sanyo, and now Motorola.

Hmm, not everyweek you run get soaked with heavy downpour, into flood, face earthquake, or bump your car to a tree, but still this kind of phones can serve well if you are in outdoor activity for certain period of times. One of them is Motorola i365IS. "I.S" here means "Intrinsically Safe".

This means the phone can witstand quite extreme situations for normal people you and me. More of what military standard is all about can be find in this interesting old post from Howard forum. And check Sprint news release about Motorola i365 here.

So if you're planning to go on safari in Africa, or hiking in Montana, or just camping out when rains can fall, then Moto i365IS can be considered. But if you're just ordinary office or homey guy, then you can consider more stylish military standard Motorola Adventure V750.

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Samsung La Fleur D980 Dual Sim Got Valentine Skin in Russia

2009-02-09T15:41:00.000+07:00

Valentine's day is only 5 days away. We all already get used to the pink stationary, pink chocolate, pink decorations all across malls and retail stores... but pink phone? Wait, there is a pink phone for Valentine's day. This time it's from Samsung. A creative and marketing-savvy manufacturer, Samsung relaunched its dual sim D980 with appealing pink color.

Unfortunately it is only available in Russia right now. Hmm, so you can't give it to your new girlfriend, eh? haha. To make it much more disappointing to us here in other parts of the world, that Samsung guys also spice up the reskinned phone in Russia with mobile coupon app. With it, we can download java applets that show which outlets provide discount, then we choose one, then we download the mobile coupon. We go to, say, a nearby cafe, and show the virtual coupon in our Fleur's gorgeous display. Cafe is happy, you are happy, and Samsung is too. What a win-win situation.

Let's pray that this beauty will hit other parts of the world. It's almost unfair that I can't give one to my girl ^_^, while some Russian guys can!

Specs :

2G Triband (900, 1800, 1900) Dual SIM, GPRS and EDGE support
5 MP camera, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, flash, video (QVGA@15fps)
TFT touchscreen, 256K colors
Dimensions : 97.5 x 55 x 16.3 mm
Weight : 117 gr
Screen : TFT touchscreen, 256K colors, 240 x 320 pixels, 2.6 inches
Micro SD, supports up to 2 GB
MP3/MP4/AAC+ Player
Bluetooth A2DP
Li-Ion 1200 mAh
NetFront browser 3.4

Source : Unwiredview
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LG Arena KM900 officially launched, a Divx enabled phone with rotating 3D cube menu

2009-02-09T14:03:00.001+07:00

After being teased and teased all the time, finally we will get the LG Arena official. Let us wait for the great reviewers out there to comment with their hands-on experience. It is interesting how much this phone will cost.

Feature wise, it is quite impressive.

Tri-band GSM/UMTS/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity
3″ 800 x 480 WVGA 262K color touchscreen display
5 megapixel camera with DVD quality video recording
FM Radio
Mobile TV
A-GPS support
1000 mAh battery with 300 hrs stand-by and 230 min talk time
Wi-Fi
“S-Class” 3D interface

"S-Class" 3D interface, anyone? I don't think this is quite interesting. Not a strong selling point. Even who cares if the interface rotates or dances or you name it. We want quick and trouble free, and finger gesture friendly operation. Let's see whether the "S-Class" interface performs as good as LG hypes about.

Now this baby should really be considered as an alternative tool for your mobile entertainment. Great thing is, it supports DivX, which is great for playing the DivX movies you had downloaded.

So, from competition, which ones are we looking at? Perhaps its upper class sister, the LG Prada II, is on almost equal footing, if not slightly better, as the "Prada" label may put some more appeal to fashion-conscious people. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, hello? Where are you guys. We should wonder why these big guys lost speed to the challenger Korean brand.

The current closest type from Nokia, Nokia 5800 Express Music, falls shy with its mediocre 3.2 megapixel cam. The upcoming Nokia N97 can be a better -and predictably more expensive- option than Arena cause of the Qwerty installed in N97. Well N97 will always enjoy the reputation of Nokia brand.

But in this heavy competition era particularly between cellphone manufacturers, if we are truly smart customers, it may be not the best decision for us to stay loyal to one brand.
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LG Prada II will be launched in Europe with its Bluetooth watch

2009-02-08T22:44:00.000+07:00

After its release of first LG Prada one year ago (January 2008), LG had announced its upgraded version, called LG Prada II, or some also call it Prada Qwerty. Yes, it has Qwerty sliding keypad now, a welcome upgrade. And for you fashioners, you can get snapshots of yourself browsing around Champ Elysee avenue using its 5 megapixel cam. Not bad at all, though LG can seriously crank the cam up to 8 mp, which is more suitable to the target market Prada aims. Speaking of upscale premium market.

Moreover, it is going to be accompanied by a stylish Prada bluetooth watch. The words in the blogosphere stated that the watch is equipped with LCD screen for you to check incoming messages and handling calls.

Now this is becoming quite interesting. Fancy branded phone with its watch as assistant. Combine the high tech and extravagant life... May be other luxury watches should consider creating these kinds of watches.

After all, not everybody is Prada fan, and not everybody is willing to switch to an entirely new handset just to try the remote controlling sms with its luxury watch. Definetely there is market out there to have a luxury watch with bluetooth pairing and sms and contact management ability.

Ever thought of controlling your blackberry or Nokia N-96 with a Gucci watch? Hmmm that sounds tasty!

Check out also the arch-rival of fashion branded phone, the less sexy Samsung Armani for comparison, specs by gsmarena here.

If you don't really care about 3G or HSDPA, (but hey seriously this is the year 2009!), then Samsung Armani could still have a hope to take money from your wallet. But seriously, it's becoming aging in this fast paced cellphone world!

via : Unwiredview
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LG LBA C300, the alternative and controversial bluetooth qwerty card

2009-02-08T18:20:00.000+07:00

Okay, have you ever had any trouble texting with your smartphone virtual keyboard? Or you feel it's too slow to type using the standard numeric cell keypad? Then LG offers something here, that might be to your liking, called "LBA-C300", a unique and controversial bluetooth-enabled Qwerty keypad card, for pairing with your cellphone.

Engadget humorously called it "the most interesting calculator-look alike", but it is not a calculator at all. In fact it's quite powerful. Unwiredview said it enables you to type sms and set alarm of your cellphone, provided connected via bluetooth. This means if you are crazy for IM, you can just chat away with the Qwerty card. Interesting. Controlling your sms and IM without even touching or looking at your cellphone, so you can keep your cellphone in your pocket or bag. This is a winning concept. LG should market this aggressively, and ensure compatibilities to all major brands such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Samsung, Motorola.

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Samsung Acme i8910 uses Symbian 5th Edition

2009-02-08T18:16:00.000+07:00

Engadget shows that Samsung i8910 will use Symbian 5th Edition. Very interesting picture we get from engadget.com. If this is true, then Symbian will dominate more the imaging phone market. Up until today, no other manufacturers already announced imaging smartphone with features on par to Samsung i8910. Its ability to record High definition and to transmit video through HDMI is extremely tempting!

Looking at the pictures, simply the display is so gorgeous and beautiful. Samsung continues its tradition as manufacturer with excellent and bright display. Let's see this hot babe rolling in a few weeks. :)

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LG Arena KM900 Leaked by LG UK Blog

2009-02-08T18:14:00.000+07:00

LG UK official blog has just teased us with its leak of LG Arena KM900 pic. It said nothing in the blog about the features, and only said that the device will be exposed at the upcoming Mobile World Conggress (MWC).

The official press image here shows some kind of rotating 3D box with icons it. Considering the phone will be fully touch screen, it will be simply amazing to touch one of the icons in the 3D rotating box and, voila, the apps or whatever appeared in the gorgeous big display. This is called by LG as -rather unfriendly name- "S-Class innovative 3D interface".

Sources from Engadgetmobile, and Unwiredview.

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The Classic Phones That Changed It All

2009-02-08T17:17:00.000+07:00

Well, since the first time cellphones introduced back then in the early 1990s, there are undeniably several phones that changed the face of the world, err, may be not the world, but quite by far and wide changed how we communicate and work.. So here they are, six phones that changed the way we live.

Nokia 7650. Released in 2002. The first Nokia that brought Symbian OS. Elegant by design, and strong in features, camera, java, symbian, but lacks external memory. Still, this device started the Symbian evolution, followed by Nokia 3650, 3660, 6600 and up until Nokia phones with latest Symbian we see today. A truly classic and beautiful phone!

Sony Ericsson P800. Released in 2002. The predecessor of P900, P910, and P990i as we knew. In huge competition with Nokia 7650, this phone was among the first who featured Symbian UIQ system. It also brought touch screen ability, the first time in cellphone industry with handwriting recognition and huge screen. Also packed with external memory slot, and camera. It was quite stylish and techie at its day.

Ericsson T10s. Released in 1998. This phone defined the meaning of compact size. Before T10s, cellphones were always bulky. But T10s started the thin competition! Loved by teenagers because of its compact size and bright colors, T10s were very iconic at its time. Though interface is a bit too simplistic and lacking flexibility compared to Nokia 5110, but still T10s got quite huge fan.

Sony Ericsson T610i. Released in 2002. The phone that defined the meaning of the word "style" in cellphone industry, and created a huge following. VGA camera, bluetooth, infrared (yes that day infrared was important), and wrapped in stylish duo tone colours made people go crazy after this phone. This phone may be one of the best selling model made by Sony Ericsson.

Nokia Communicator 9110. Released in 1998. This is the phone that pioneered the modern Communicator E90 as we see today. Actually 9110 is not the first communicator released by Nokia. Before that, Nokia launched Communicator 8880 and Communicator 9000, but these models were not very successful. Nokia Communicator 9110 already supported fax and document viewing, a very novel feature for 1990s phone. Actually, the Communicator form factor is very genious if we think about it. You can use it as regular phone, and by opening it, also as mini laptop.

Nokia 5110. Released on 1997. This is it. The phone that is simply, legendary. The simple and easy interface, the generous number of text lines (at that time compared to its competitor), the snake game.. the exchangeable cover, all made this phone the idol for the crowd. Nokia 5110 cellphone is the one that brought GSM communication to the masses. May be the only downside of this phone is its ugly external antenna. Other than that, everything is fine. The sms capacity (for inbox and sent items) is 30 messages, which is quite okay for those times.

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Samsung i8910 : the real cutting edge that puts N-series to shame

2009-02-08T17:13:00.000+07:00

After the glamour of its Omnia series, a win-mo powered smartphone that is hard to resist, Samsung leaked its upcoming i8910. Physically design speaking, it is nothing special. But it carries strong imaging features : 8 megapixel cameras, 8GB and 16 GB HDMI, DNLA, and the creamiest one is it enables High Definition recording.

The High Definition recording alone puts N-Series and C series of SonyEricsson to shame, as they are less generous in imaging aspects of their phones. The highest fps so far from N-series and Cseries is only 30 fps. Sure the Samsung i8910 will steal some market share from the flamboyant N-Series and charming C series. I even consider to get one!

So let's watch this hot gadget coming..!

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Sony Ericsson W902 : Hot or just a recycle of other Walkman series?

2009-02-08T17:00:00.001+07:00

Walkman, walkman, walkman. And more walkman series launched by Sony Ericsson. It seems like the brand intends to saturate the market with its excellent (but become quite repetitive) walkman range handsets. Yet the recently launched Sony Ericsson W902 packs HSDPA, 3G, high quality 5 megapixel cam with LED flash, 8 mb external memory card included (with handset supports up to , FM radio, rather stylish though quite boring design, and great walkman player. For the price, it is quite a steal.

According to GSMArena, it has one of the best stereo sound quality, even the website coronate W902 as "gifted musician". For you audiophiles, who needs to upgrade to the latest music phone, this piece of gem should be into your consideration. Contract free price is about $500, and this will soon decline in the next 6 months or one year. Compared to Nokia 5800 Express Music, the touch screen and Symbian OS from Nokia make it seems a better valued phone, but everyone knows that 5800's camera is poor.

Check full, and awesome, review by GSMArena here.

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HTC Dream : The first Android system aboard an HTC for Asia and Australia

2009-02-08T16:47:00.000+07:00

HTC announced the HTC Dream, the Android OS powered PDA for Asia and Australia market. HTC as a brand has been famous for introducing breakthrough PDA models. From its phenomenal HTC Tytn and Tytn II up to its stylish and sleek HTC Touch family. HTC is also the manufacturer of the sexy T-Mobile G1 with Android OS, which was launched last September 2008. T-Mobile G1 has been reviewed by the reputable Engadget, and generally received so-so review, praising its innovativeness and software, but also commented on the lacks of several basic features found on other OS such as Windows Mobile or Iphone.

Now with HTC Dream annoucned, it is interesting to see how it will do in Asian and Australian market. Though Asian mobile brands (Samsung and LG) are renowned for their stylish design, HTC Dream's design is a little bit bland and plain. No silver linings. No glossy finish. Just a device that tries to entice you to its smartness.

Here are the key features of the HTC Dream, according to Optus Australia :

3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with HVGA (320 X 480 pixel) resolution.
Customisable Home screen with instant Email, text message and IM notifications.
Full 5-row QWERTY keyboard.
One-touch access to Google Search, mobile Internet services - Gmail, YouTube,
Google Maps & Calendar.
3G/2100MHz
Wi-Fi technology with seamless transition to open networks.
Android Market™ with access to a variety of applications and media downloads.
3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus.
microSD™ (SD 2.0 compatible) expansion slot up to 8GB.

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