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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Posted on 8:38 PM
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Nokia released new firmware update for the 5800 XpressMusic. Being quite a major release it brings improvements in a number of areas. According to Nokia it should improve the performance and the user interface as well as add some new applications.

The new firmware version brings in the Mobile Dictionary and Application Update Apps to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The first one offers you voice playback and text-to-speech, supporting 38 languages.

As the name suggests Application Update manages the new updates for your installed apps, making them easy to keep up to date.

The 5800 XpressMusic new firmware revision also brings two new camera features. The first is the burst mode, which allows the primary camera to take multiple photos with a single key press. The second is enabling the secondary camera to take photos. Up until now it could only be used for video-calling.

As usually lots of bug-fixes and performance improvements complete the change log. According to Nokia the 5800 XpressMusic handsets that get the new firmware should have faster user interface and greater download speeds.

Considering the enormous popularity of the 5800 XpressMusic it's hardly surprising that Nokia are rushing to fix all those irritating bugs that plague its first S60 full touch handset. Despite some hardware issues it had recently, the handset is selling in volumes, making it quite likely that this is not the last firmware update it will see.

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iLane lets you speak aloud and listen to the emails on your BlackBerry

Posted on 11:08 PM
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Busy geeks who’re always on the road and have the two hands on the wheel, will have no single minute to respond the the email messages on the BlackBerry. iLane, a small device, introduced by Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc, completely gets your hands free, allows you to respond to the emails in your inbox by listening and speaking to them.


Basically, iLane reads out your email when an email arrives in your inbox. And you can speak to the iLane to respond to the emails, such as you wanna compose new emails or reply an email. Just speak aloud to the iLane, it’ll then do it for you on your BlackBerry. It obeys simple voice commands such as “Delete”, “Call Back”, and “Reply” etc.

The user will need to wear a wireless Bluetooth earphone to listen to what iLane is reporting about things going on in your inbox. When you speak to compose or reply an email, iLane records, attaches it as an MP3 file and sends it. It’s a must-have, if your two hands are always on the steering wheel. Perhaps, some high-tech cab drivers would love to have an iLane.


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AT&T to finally offer unlocked contract-free iPhones 3G

Posted on 10:48 PM
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As leaked information undoubtedly suggest AT&T will starts offering unlocked Apple iPhone 3G without any contract obligations starting from 26th March. To get one (or several), you need to be an existing AT&T customer and have 599/699 US dollars ready for the 8/16 gigs version respectively.

As of 26th March AT&T will offer its customers the special opportunity to get an unlocked iPhone 3G totally commitment-free with no in-store activation needed. The only limit is one iPhone 3G per active line per customer.

The campaign starts on March 26th and the prices are 599 US dollars for the 8 GB version and 699 dollars for the 16 gigs (presumably before state tax).

Source

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Kids and cell phones: A crosswalk hazard?

Posted on 3:04 PM
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Preteens talking on gadget more likely to step into traffic, study finds

By Linda Carroll
msnbc.com contributor

More parents are looking to cell phones to help keep their children safe. But mom and dad should be aware: Kids who talk on a cell phone may be more likely to step into traffic, a new study shows.

Children should learn to end phone conversations before they step up to the curb and prepare to step into traffic, says David Schwebel, an associate professor and vice chair in the department of psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-author of the study.

While research shows that older kids and more experienced users also don't navigate streets as well while on a cell phone, younger children tended to find gadgets more distracting.

“Kids this age are just learning to cross the street on their own,” says Schwebel. "They're novices."

A third of the 20 million 8- to 12-year-olds in the United States already have a cell phone, with more than half of "tweens" expected to be carrying them by the end of next year, according to market researchers. The research from the University of Alabama researchers highlights how important it is for parents to teach kids about cell phone safety while they’re out walking around.

In the study, which was published in latest issue of Pediatrics, researchers watched as 77 pre-teens individually navigated a virtual reality street crossing. The children were first allowed to familiarize themselves with the street scene before actually starting the test. Then they were asked to run through the simulation 12 times, six while on the phone, six while undistracted.

While on the phone, children were asked questions such as, “What’s your favorite television show?” or, “What do you like to do for fun?”

More helpful than harmful
The researchers found that children speaking on a cell were 43 percent more likely to be hit or to have a close call in the simulated street crossings than kids who weren’t on the phone. They also kept track of how many times a child would look left and right before stepping into the street and found that number fell by 20 percent when a phone conversation was going on.

There was no difference whether the participant was a boy or girl.

One weakness of the study is that it relied on a virtual realty simulator. But, Schwebel says, the simulator has been validated in other experiments in which the researchers compared VR results to tests run in a real world.

Kids don't need to be banned from chatting on the phone when outside, however. Instead, parents simply should instruct them to finish their conversations before crossing the street.

“I don’t think this means parents should take phones away from their kids,” says Schwebel. “I encourage families to get cell phones for their children. They’re more helpful than harmful, if they’re used in a safe way.”

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Nokia launches N79 Active, a fitness phone with heart rate belt

Posted on 12:23 PM
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Nokia has launched their new cellphone, N79 Active, which is specially designed to target fitness-aware geeks. The Nokia N97 N79 Active comes with a Polar Bluetooth WearLink heart rate belt, which is worn by the user to record heard rate, while he or she is on a treadmill or out for a run. The belt sends the heart rate to the Nokia phone wirelessly which you can then have a nice visual analysis for your heart rate.

The Nokia N79 Active also features aGPS and software which allows you to upload your favorite running paths to the Internet to share with other fitness fans. Besides, the aGPS, the phone also comes with couple of sport-friendly features such as share-proof, noise reduction headphones and 4GB microSD card that lets you carry large amount of music to enjoy during your sport sessions.

Other goodies found on this phone including a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. According to Nokia, this phone is the smallest Nseries device launched so far which comes with headphones and an armband. It’s expected to retail at EUR 375.

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Wasabi PZ310 Bluetooth mobile printer - Dell’s first zero-ink printer

Posted on 9:41 AM
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Dell has rolled out their first zero-ink (Zink) printer, which is named Wasabi PZ310. By its name, you will surely first think of the green paste used in eating Japanese sushi.


The Wasabi PZ310 mobile printer allows any Bluetooth-enabled gadgets to send digital images to it for printing. The printer uses the ZINK technology which doesn’t require ink cartridges. What it needs is only some special paper that will form the images on it when activated by thermal. This special paper may be little costly for the time being as it is not that common yet in the market. But sooner or later its price shall go down.

The Dell Wasabi printer is able to produce prints in the size of 2 x 3 inch only, but they’re in scrapbook-quality. This mobile printer will be available in three colors, which black, pink, and blue and Dell has set the introductory price at $99, but it should go little higher when it hits the shelves. The entire printer measures only 4.8 x 2.8 x 0.9 inches, which should be pretty portable to bring along with digital camera.

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Samsung Blue Earth mobile phone is solar-powered

Posted on 7:10 AM
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You hate the moment which your mobile phone ran out of battery, and some more your emergency charger was not with you. How you wish you could have a mobile phone that was powered by the sun, so you could continue your conversation in the sunshine. Now, Samsung has got one which you shall consider to replace your existing mobile phone. The Samsung Blue Earth is a solar-powered mobile phone which also proves Samsung’s eagerness of going “green” with their cellphone products.



The Samsung Blue Earth comes equipped with a solar panel at the back, which allows the phone’s internal battery to be charged up anytime when you’re out in the sunshine. The Blue Earth is a complete “green” phone, it’s also made out of recycled plastic, stuffed in a recycled packaging and it also comes with a energy-efficient charger for those rainy days or those who don’t step out of the house. The Samsung Blue Earth phone shall be due to ship sometime in the second half of this year.

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World’s first “light energy” cellphone?

Posted on 7:01 AM
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Chinese chick holding world's 1st “Light energy” does not carry the same meaning with solar-powered. Anyway, I think this is the first time we get to know a “light energy” or solar-powered cell phone, although we’ve seen quite a number solar-powered gadgets, but none of them was a cell phone. The “light energy” cell phone is the product of China Millennium Monument, which they released in Beijing Museum of Art. Its name is “Chang”, it’s a cramshell design, which it’s got solar cells covering its body. And the light energy collected by these solar cells will then charge the cellphone’s internal lithium battery.



As long as there is light then its battery can charge itself. I’ve gotta clarify here, now you know the difference between the “light energy” and the solar-powered. It means, even it’s a cloudy day or you get no sunlight such as during you candlelight dinner, it’ll also be able to charge itself by the candle light. You’ll get about 20-25 minutes of calls after exposing under direct sunlight for 40 minutes. This light energy cell phone carries features such as dual-band GSM 900/1800, 1.3 million pixels of digital camera, built-in 64M U disk; T-Flash support expansion cards, 2.0-inch 320*240dpi, high-def screen etc but having a proprietary OS.

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LG-GD900 - world’s first transparent cell phone

Posted on 6:46 AM
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Lets face it, the outer look or design of a cellphone can no longer get any more special. Perhaps adding a little transparency to the design of a cellphone will make it more special and outstanding in the crowd. That’s what LG has made for its new phone, LG-GD900.

The LG-GD900 was shown at the WMC 2009 as well, which is a crystal-like phone that you can see through. This phone’s keypad is translucent, and it has a polished silver body. When the keypad slides open, the phone will light up in a cool glow in a reflective and refractive way. Apparently, the LG-GD900 transparent phone is the next move of LG, hoping to add little revolutionizing tech to the mobile phone industry, after the 3G watch phone.

The LG-GD900 transparent phone can be expected to arrive in the 2nd quarter of 2009. No much information about this phone has been disclosed yet. And the only thing that is sure is it supports Bluetooth connectivity and most likely it’ll come with a Bluehtooth headset. The phone is 13.4 mm in thickness and it also supports the HSDPA 7.2Mbps connectivity.

The unique transparent keypad doubles as a touchpad and the handset will also support multi-touch. It also become clear that the keypad is made of glass, rather than plastic.

The LG GD900 Crystal will run the LG's S-Class UI with a lot of touch related goodies. The handset will feature multi-touch input as well as gesture support. This means that features like the two-finger zoom we saw on the Arena will be available for the Crystal users too.

There will also be some new staff on the LG Crystal. For example writing an 'M' would launch the MP3 player and drawing a circle controls the volume.

We are also more than pleased to know that the GD900 will have haptic feedback. The LG GD900 also has handwriting recognition, which isn't too frequent on phones with capacitive screens.

Some improvement is done in the web browsing department too. The GD900 will offer 'mouse mode' for a more convenient browsing experience. This means that you will be able to control a virtual mouse with your touch keypad, much like you would do on a laptop.

The LG GD900 Crystal will hit the European and Asian shelves in May but its pricing is yet unknown.

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The S-Class LG Arena is ready to start selling in Europe

Posted on 12:26 PM
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LG announced today the European launch of their multimedia high-end handset - LG KM900 Arena. The 3-inch touch jewel comes with full connectivity package, 5 megapixel snapper and the new S-Class interface.


LG release the awaited KM900 Arena first in Europe. The KM900 Arena is the first LG phone using the S-Class UI, which impresses with 3D effects and nice smooth transitions.

Connectivity-wise LG Arena is pretty well secured. 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, TV-out support, FM radio and FM transmitter.

The LG Arena will start shipping this month through major European retailers.

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Submersible heavy-duty Samsung B2100 officially announced

Posted on 9:49 AM
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Turning their backs on the bunch of leaked touch handsets, Samsung today announced a low-end phone, which however comes as rugged as they get. Reminding of the Sonum XP3 Enduro, but prettier, the Samsung B2100 has got a whole wall covered with endurance certificates, plus it's easily submersible under water to up to a meter depth (but only up to 30 minutes - just enough for a bath).

The Samsung B2100 Xplorer follows the styling of the Samsung B2700, the new Xplorer bloke however lacks the 3G capabilities of its elder brother plus there is no altimeter and digital compass either. What you get however is a cheap rugged little fella, which comes with shock, water, salt, fog and dust resistance compliant with both the European IP57 certification and the US Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F) much like the Sonim XP3 Enduro.

The Samsung B2100 Xplorer body is made out of urethane, which is the same material they use to make roller blades. It's got noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone and a new vibration setting that makes it vibrate longer. The new lock mechanism of the battery cover has made it more secure as we personally had some issues with the locking mechanism of the Samsung B2700.

Samsung B2100 Xplorer has a flashlight on top with a dedicated button to start it, and there is also a memory card slot, which you can use to load up music or download photos from the 1.3 megapixel camera. Stereo Bluetooth A2DP support is also on board.

The Samsung B2100 Xplorer will be released in Germany and other European countries in variety of colors in April 2009. There's no word on its pricing yet, but it should be cheaper than Samsung B2700

Specifications:

General
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

Size
Dimensions 113 x 48.9 x 17.4 mm

Weight
102.8 g

Display
Type TFT, 256K colors
Size 120 x 160 pixels, 1.77 inches
- Wallpapers

Sound
Alert types Vibration; Polyphonic(64), MP3 ringtones
Speakerphone Yes

Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries
Call records Yes
Internal 7 MB
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), up to 8 GB

Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G No
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0

Camera
Primary 1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 pixels, flash
Video Yes, 15fps
Secondary No

Features
Messaging SMS, MMS
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Red, Black
GPS No
Java Yes, MIDP 2.0
- Shock, water and dust resistant (IP57, MIL-STD-810F)
- Water proof up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
- Anti-shock materials (urethane)
- Noise cancellation with dedicated microphone
- Flashlight with dedicated key
- MP3/e-AAC+/WMA/WAV player
- MPEG4/3GP/M4V player
- Voice memo
- Stopwatch
- T9

Battery
Standard battery, Li-Ion 1000 mAh
Stand-by Up to 600 h
Talk time Up to 9 h

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