Philips Xenium X620 is ready for those late night break-up calls

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 28th 2008 at 1:28AM



No one ever said you had to be awesome at everything, and hardly anyone understands this better than Philips. Seriously, the only thing even remotely stellar about the company's family of Xenium handsets is the marvelous battery life, and even though the X620's 2.4-inch display is only QVGA and the USB is only 1.1, how can you possibly argue with a talk time of 12 hours? As in, half a day. Other specifications include a 3.2-megapixel camera, a video record mode, MP3 / WMA player, a microSDHC slot, Bluetooth, quad-band GSM connectivity and EDGE data. As these handsets usually do, this one isn't apt to leave the borders of Russia and China, though there's no mention of price for either of those markets.

source : http://www.engadgetmobile.com

Solar panel-packin' sunglasses power your gizmos, make Kanye inordinately envious

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 27th 2008 at 9:51PM



Before you get all "Oh, that comment was so heartless" on us, we will say that the spectacles you're peeping above are still a concept for now, though we wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that Kanye himself eventually funds their commercialization. At any rate, designers Hyun-Joong Kim and Kwang-Seok Jeong should be mighty proud of their concoction, which integrates dye solar cells into fashion-forward sunglasses in order to power your pocketable gadgets. Put simply, the SIG (Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses) convert the sunlight that they'll obviously see into usable energy, though it should be understood that these could give the impression that you're rockin' a head-mounted display. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?

source : http://www.engadget.com/

What'll Be Hot In Tech In '09?

T-Mobile G1, first cell phone with Google's Android operating system. Natali Del Conte predicts Android will out-sell iPhone in '09. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
(CBS) It's always the same: Just when you think you own the latest piece of technology, they come out with something just a little bit better.

And 2009 is likely to see the usual slew of tech innovations, says CNET-TV Senior Editor Natali Del Conte, with all kinds of stuff set to debut.

On The Early Show Saturday Edition, Del Conte filled in viewers on what will be new and cool, what will become outmoded, and likely trends in the tech world next year:

Stand-alone portable GPS will begin to die

In-dash navigation and the smartphones now have GPS, so there's no need to buy a standalone system. We saw this happen with the PDA and the MP3 player and, slowly, it's unfolding with the standalone camera.

Mind control gaming systems will be all the rage

These are devices that enable you to control your gaming avatars with your thoughts. They already exist, but none of the major gaming console makers (Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft) has gotten on board. Yet.

Android, Google’s cell phone operating system, will out-sell iPhone

It won't outsell iPhone on the T-Mobile G1, but we're going to see this operating system on several more phones in 2009. It could become as recognizable on your phone as Windows is on your PC.

OLED TV will become affordable and more popular

Organic Light Emitting Diode means the picture is as clear as can be and the blacks are blacker than in any other picture display. We saw the first OLED TV at last year's Consumer Electronics Show, but it cost more than $2,000 and was only 11 inches. Toshiba and Samsung have already admitted to making these in sizes that are bigger than 11 inches.

Storage will getting cheaper and people will actually use it

This year, we saw gadgets that came with more internal storage, such as the High Definition camcorders. External hard drives are also getting cheaper. You can get a 1 terabyte drive for just over $100. Just a few years ago, that cost $1 million! A terabyte is enough to store approximately 5,000 entire books, so it should hold all the music and photos and videos for one family. Consumers are backing their data up more often and buying these drives, which is partially why the price is coming down.

source : http://www.cbsnews.com

Mobile operator launches UK’s first single digit tariff.

By Maggie Holland, 23 Dec 2008 at 15:20

Mobile giant 3 has launched a new £9 a month calling plan to appease those keen to keep in touch with colleagues, friends and family but torn between doing so and saving pennies during the current hard times.

The new Mix & Match 100 tariff is available as of now and offers users 100 minutes or texts or a combination of the two, coupled with voicemail, 300 same network minutes, free Skype calls and chat and free Windows Live Messenger.

Those signing up will also get their hands on a 3G handset - the Sony Ericsson K660i - as part of the deal.

“Delivering value to consumers has always been a priority, that’s why we’re the first and only mobile network to try to take the worry out of at least one bill a month with the UK’s first ever £9 tariff,” said Marc Allera, 3 UK’s sales and marketing director. “The current economic climate means that we’re more committed than ever to finding ways to pass savings to consumers.”

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Palm benefits from $100m boost

Elevation Partners offers Palm another financial handshake.

By Maggie Holland, 26 Dec 2008 at 03:05

Palm has received another welcome financial lift to the tune of $100 million (£67.5 million) from the investment firm that last year bought a 25 per cent stake in the business.

Known as much for his humanitarian work as his music, U2 frontman Bono extended his charitable side to the mobile giant this week as the company he founded - Elevation Partners - gave Palm another funding hit.

Palm intends to use the money to help it weather the current economic climate in addition to supporting the new product launches planned for the coming year, according to the company’s chief executive Ed Colligan.

Elevation Partners’ co-founder Roger McNamee said that he believed Palm had a revolutionary potential to transform the mobile phone industry.

“Palm has an industry-leading team and an exciting, differentiated product roadmap,” he said. “We are proud to be associated with the company and look forward to great things from Palm in 2009 and beyond.”

Under the terms of the new deal, Palm can still ask Elevation Partners to sell up to $49 million of its investment stake on equal or better terms – provided it does so by the end of March next year.

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Top 10 business phones of 2008 part 3

By Clare Hopping, 26 Dec 2008 at 02:57




Samsung Omnia

The Omnia is Samsung’s first handset to run on Windows Mobile, and with that the Korean manufacturer has crammed in a whole package of business apps and functionality. There may not be a QWERTY keyboard, but the virtual typewriter does a good job when writing long emails or documents.

BlackBerry Curve 8900

Quite simply, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the most impressive business and multimedia BlackBerry to date. The fully-featured device includes Wi-Fi and GPS, a super-responsive Qwerty keyboard and an ultra-impressive battery life of two days, even when used frequently. One minor disappointment is a lack of 3G connectivity which may cause grief for some, but this can be overlooked when you have a decent email service and browser.

And last, but not least...

T-Mobile G1

The launch of the Android-based T-Mobile G1 just added to the open operating system phenomenon that hit in 2008. The G1 features a slide out QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen. Although there’s no exchange connectivity as you’ll find on BlackBerrys, there is support for IMAP and POP email. If the G1 doesn’t come with all the apps you want or need preloaded, just take a look at the extensive Android Market for anything and everything.

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Top 10 business phones of 2008 part 2

By Clare Hopping, 26 Dec 2008 at 02:57



Nokia E71

Nokia’s S60 devices will always be a perfect solution for business, because they’re so good at handling multiple tasks at once. The E71 also throws in a QWERTY keyboard for good measure, plus it’s super-slim so will slide into - and out of - your pocket like a dream.

Samsung i8510

Samsung’s Symbian-based i8510 made us take the Korean manufacturer seriously this year. It features everything a compact business phone should; push email, GPS, document editing and viewing, plus an optical navigation key that behaves just like the track pad on your laptop.

LG KC910

Although the KC910 concentrates on multimedia, there are a number of handy apps for business too. An email wizard ensures you’re up and running quickly, plus the browser makes surfing the net seamless. You can even view your documents up close and personal.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

The Xperia X1 is the first of Sony Ericsson’s business-targeted mobiles. It runs on Windows Mobile to ensure you have push email, plus software for reading and editing important documents. It will sync to your PC, plus there’s a QWERTY keyboard so you can type efficiently.

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Top 10 business phones of 2008 part 1

2008 has been a big year for business phones, especially after the introduction of the Google-based Android platform. We take a look at the top 10 devices of 2008.

By Clare Hopping, 26 Dec 2008 at 02:57


With a new mobile platform appearing on the market by the name of Google Android, the smartphone market has seen an explosion in the last year.

In an attempt to compete, the major handset manufacturers have been spitting out business-centric handsets like there’s no tomorrow. Here we look at the top 10 introduced in 2008.

HTC Touch Pro

The HTC Touch Pro is, as the name suggests, designed for business professionals. With a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus super-slick touchscreen interface, the Touch Pro is the most versatile HTC offering. On the business side, there’s everything you’d expect from Windows Mobile, including push email with document viewing and editing.

BlackBerry Bold

The BlackBerry Bold is RIM’s first true all rounder. A QWERTY keyboard replaces the awkward SureType keypad, and you can sync all your sever-based information to it thanks to BlackBerry’s Enterprise Server. The original push email service is also onboard, not to mention the wealth of multimedia capabilities on offer.

iPhone 3G

Although not produced with the business user in mind, Apple’s iPhone 3G is used by businessmen everywhere. With a simple to use virtual QWERTY keyboard, super-speedy computer synching in addition to push email, third party business apps galore, plus that stunning Safari-based browser, it’s no surprise this is such a popular device.

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Second warning in three weeks highlights the problems facing even leading phone makers going in to 2009 part 2.

In addition to ailing consumer demand, operator and retail distributors will go through a period of destocking, resulting in lower sales volumes of manufacturers than purchase volumes by consumers in the first half of 2009, Nokia said.

The mobile phone market has grown at well over 10 per cent for years, having dipped only in 2001, amid that year's economic downturn; but it will face a new challenge next year.

"Next year will be the most challenging year the mobile industry has ever faced," said Ben Wood, research director at CCS Insight.

But Nokia said it was in a good position to weather the downturn because of the large scale of its global business.

"2009 will be challenging for our industry; however we have a strong, enviable base to build on, and I believe we will continue to strengthen our position on many fronts," Nokia chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said in a statement.

"Building on our operational flexibility, Nokia is acting to reduce costs appropriately in the current slowing environment," he said.

But the company said that in the meantime fourth quarter earnings will suffer, as it has not been able to cut costs quickly enough in response to the rapid deterioration of the handset market in the last few weeks.

Analysts expect Nokia to fare better than its smaller rivals in the downturn.

"Despite the challenging environment, Nokia remains best positioned ... thanks to their economies of scale and channel strategy," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Nokia cut its forecast a day after the world's fifth and sixth largest handset makers, LG and RIM, warned on sales and profit growth. Motorola and Sony Ericsson are already struggling to make a profit.

Nokia said it expects also to win back market share in smartphones, where it has lost ground to RIM and Apple. Simonson said that the smartphone market should grow in 2009, but he did not give a specific estimate.

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Second warning in three weeks highlights the problems facing even leading phone makers going in to 2009 part 1.

Despite efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to kick-start consumer spending, shoppers are holding off on non-essential purchases such as new phones, Nokia has warned.

Pointing to data that showed sales of mobile phones are shrinking faster than expected as consumers are cutting spending, Nokia issued its second warning in three weeks on the state of the market for new handsets.

"Consumers are continuing dramatically to cut back their spending," Nokia chief financial officer Rick Simonson said at the company's investor day in New York, adding that he was under "no illusions" that the market would recover any time soon. " We're facing it across the world. What's recently accelerated is the slowdown in emerging markets," he said.

Nokia said handset market volumes are expected to fall by at least five per cent next year, something many analysts were already expecting. But it sees its market share rising, helping to lift its stock four percent to €11.02 (£9.58) in Europe and $13.84 (£9.43) in the US.

Some analysts are worried, however, that handset sales could fall a lot further next year, as even Nokia acknowledged that it does not have a good view of the market for 2009. Nokia's comments echo a similar warning from Samsung.

"We're surprised they didn't cut (its forecast) more for 2009," said Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder. "I don't think we'll see February 1 without another cut."

source : http://www.itpro.co.uk/

Nokia 8800 Gold Arte ups the ante with even more luxury

The latest piece of art in the Arte lineup appeared at Nokia website without a proper introduction from the manufacturer. The new Nokia 8800 Gold Arte follows on the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte but adds quite some luxury and tackiness to the package. The functionality remains identical, but you know - when it comes to Arte, plain technical capabilities just don't tell the whole story.


Nokia 8800 Gold Arte

The main selling point of the new Nokia 8800 Gold Arte is the 18-carat gold plating and the high quality white genuine leather.

The Nokia 8800 Gold Arte has no other secrets as everything else is inherited by the 8800 Carbon Arte. And like it, the Gold Arte packs a 2" QVGA OLED display with 16 M colors, 4GB on board memory (non-upgradable as there`s no memory card slot) and 3.2-megapixel autofocus snapper.

The accelerometer-based features such as tap-for-time and turn-to-mute are also available as before.

Price tag and availability are still unknown however we`ll keep you posted when more info surfaces.

source : http://www.gsmarena.com/