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Posts with tag MobileWorldCongress

NDrive reveals internet-enabled G700 navigator


It's not exactly likely that we Americans will ever see NDrive's G700 on our soil, but for folks overseas who can look forward to receiving it when it launches next month, here's what you can expect. This navigator sports a 4.3-inch display along with a snazzy integrated GSM / GPRS module for connecting to the intarwebs and pulling down traffic, weather, local movie listings, etc. when cruising about. Unfortunately, that's it for the details right now, but if you've heard enough, you can round up your €480 ($704) and start counting down the days.

[Via NaviGadget]

WiMAX-enabled VoIP phone showcased at Mobile World Congress

Ridiculous quantities of 3G handsets weren't the only things showed off at this year's Mobile World Congress -- oh no, NetIndex, Kaga Electronics and Runcom shook up the norm a bit with their WiMAX-enabled portable VoIP phone. Reportedly, the trio joined forces to develop a VoIP handset that utilized a 802.16e module, and aside from "realizing all-IP voice communication," it also sports a web browser and integrated WiFi for times when a plain ole hotspot will do. Sadly, we've no idea where this thing will go after it leaves Barcelona (nor what it looks like), but here's to hoping it makes a commercial debut -- and can decide on a single logo -- in the not-too-distant future.

Motorola curiously shows off fuel cell technology at MWC

Okay, we suppose cellphone companies trumpeting some sort of fuel cell technology isn't that weird, but nevertheless, Moto sure seems proud of its most recent advancements. Showcased at this year's Mobile World Congress are a number of "alternative power solutions including fuel cell and reflow batteries," which can be deployed in most every wireless / mobile environment out there. More specifically, the outfit is demonstrating a fuel cell-powered WiMAX base station, and it's also suggesting that said technology could "further guarantee [the] availability of uninterrupted power" in TETRA radio networks that are used in public safety environments. Fascinating, no?

Hands-ons live from MWC? Yeah, we've got a few of those


If we're kids, then Barcelona's Mobile World Congress is the candy store -- and today, all we did was stuff our fat, sticky faces with Runts, Jolly Ranchers, Smarties, and pretty much everything in between. Head on over to Engadget Mobile for the exhaustive coverage, or if you're the love 'em and leave 'em type, at least be dolls and check out our gorgeous hands-on shots, won't you?

Read - HTC's newest touchscreen toy, say hello to the 3470
Read - Samsung's sliding Soul
Read - iriver's 3-inch touchscreen phone
Read - modu: it's real and plenty fantastic
Read - Sony Ericsson's splash-resistant C702
Read - Sony Ericsson's 5 megapixel C902
Read - Sony Ericsson's G900 touchscreen organizer
Read - The W980, Sony Ericsson's really slick flip

T-Mobile CEO hints at summer launch for 3G, Android handset in Q4

It's bordering on preposterous how long we've been teased about 3G connectivity from T-Mobile, but apparently, the madness will end this summer. According to CNET, company CEO Hamid Akhavan made mention at Mobile World Congress that T-Mobile would be rolling out 3G sometime during the warmest months of 2008 here in the US of A, but unfortunately, no concrete date was dished out. What he did say, however, was that it would prove to be the "best 3G network" in the nation, so yeah, there's that. As if that weren't enough to get T-Mob subscribers in a celebratory mood, the bigwig also hinted that a Google Android device would be unveiled on its network during Q4 of this year, but we're left to wonder exactly what regions will see it.

[Via The Boy Genius Report, image courtesy of Flickr]

Mobile World Congress roundup: cellphone mania


Whew, it was quite a day for cellphones at the Mobile World Congress, and there's more to come this week -- but if you haven't been watching Engadget Mobile (where the full coverage is being posted) or are just getting up to speed, here's everything that's gone down.

Sony Ericsson
HTC Nokia
Sad, lonely Moto
Everybody else
More after the break.

Qualcomm goes wild at MWC 2008, unveils slew of new chips

If you're sick of hearing about end products and want to get down and dirty with the innards of handsets of tomorrow, look no further than Qualcomm. The firm is busting out a smorgasbord of new chips at Mobile World Congress today, so we'll get right to it. Up first is the QST1000, QST1100 and QST1105 chipsets, which include the following:
  • An integrated ARM11 applications processor running at 528 MHz with support for third-party operating systems (Windows Mobile, Win CE and Linux)
  • A comprehensive range of popular audio and video codecs
    Rich multimedia features, including camera, video playback at up to VGA resolution, and TV-out
  • Seventh-generation gpsOne engine with support for Standalone-GPS and Assisted-GPS modes, as well as gpsOneXTRA Assistance technology delivering enhanced Standalone-GPS performance
  • Support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and FM radio
  • 65 nanometer process technology for enhanced battery life and bill-of-materials savings
  • Ability to interface with Qualcomm's Universal Broadcast Modem (UBM) solution for MediaFLO, DVB-H and ISDB-T mobile broadcast TV support
  • Wireless WAN connectivity for voice calls and data capabilities (QST1100)
  • Hardware-accelerated 2D/3D graphics core capable of performing up to 2.8 million triangles per second (QST1105)
  • All three are sampling now and are expected to begin launching this year
Head on past the break for more.

Dolby and SRS Labs bring surround sound to mobiles

With all these companies honing in on bringing HD capabilities to handsets, we were beginning to wonder when someone would step up and lend a hand on the audio front. Thankfully, both Dolby and SRS Labs have come forward at Mobile World Congress to announce separate enhancements to mobile audio, so we'll touch on the former first. Dolby Mobile, hailed as an "audio processing technology platform that brings rich, vibrant surround sound to music, movies, and television programs on mobile phones and portable media players," is available as we speak on the FOMA SH905i and FOMA SH905iTV in Japan, but will hopefully float out to other handsets in due time. As for SRS Labs, it's boasting its own SRS CS Headphone technology, which reportedly "takes stereo or surround encoded 2-channel audio and processes it using an ultra-low-power Circle Surround decoder to create 5.1 highly accurate channels." Granted, we're still wondering exactly how 5.1 channels make their way though stereo earbuds, but we'd be up for a listen, regardless.

Read - Dolby Mobile
Read - SRS CS Headphone technology

On2 Technologies reveals 1080p hardware video decoder for handsets


On the same day that Texas Instruments chose to showcase a new chip that would enable HD recording capabilities on cellphones, On2 Technologies is taking a moment from its hectic day in Barcelona to trumpet an all new 1080p hardware RTL video decoder. The Hantro 8190 reportedly supports Adobe Flash along with H.263, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark and VP6 video formats, and it can even handle JPEG images up to 16-megapixels. According to On2, the device was created to be easily integrated with ARM, MIPS and "other embedded CPU and DSP cores," and can supposedly decode 1080p H.264 video at 30 frames-per-second using a clock frequency of just 165MHz. As it stands, the Hantro 8190 is currently available for licensing, but only time will tell who's going to bite.

Samsung hauls a load into Mobile World Congress


Getting the high-end G810, F480, G400, and F400 out of the way, Samsung has (expectedly) rocked Mobile World Congress with a boatload of devices to fill every last segment of the market. Let's have a look, shall we?

  • The i200 (pictured) is a relatively simple Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard candybar with a 2 megapixel cam, 3G data, microSD expansion, and the typical QVGA display. It should break below the €200 mark and will hit shelves in spring.
  • The L170 is a thin candybar -- just 10.7mm -- that fills in the low end at a €175 asking price with a 2 megapixel camera when it launches in March.
  • The J150 goes even further downmarket than the L170, but manages to squeeze its guts into a 9.9mm shell with Bluetooth, an FM radio, microSD slot, and a 1.3 megapixel camera for €125-130.
  • The J700 is a relatively attractive slider with a 1.3 megapixel camera, 160 x 128 display, and microSD slot, while still staying on the low end at €130-140. It'll be available in March.
  • The L770 kicks up the style factor a couple notches and throws UMTS into the equation, along with a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio, and availability in a range of colors when it hits in April for €260-280.
  • The E251 is a slider that'll ring a bell for many Samsung owners, looking a heck of a lot like the E250 it replaces. In fact, it's the same thing -- it just adds a dedicated music key. Whoopee! It'll be available for €120-130.
  • The W350 is a mobile TV clamshell supporting DMB -- not a lot of good for DVB-H-loving Europe, but appropriate for South Korea. If you're cool with the 2.2 inch display, anyway. No word on release or pricing for this one.
  • Speaking of DVB-H, the P960 is just such a device with a healthier 2.6 inch QVGA display, slider form factor, 3 megapixel camera, and support for picture-in-picture. This one apparently hasn't been blessed for release yet, and there's some debate as to whether it ever will be (yes, please).
More details on the whole range as we get it!

ACCESS Linux Platform gets integrated with MontaVista Mobilinux


Look out, world -- ACCESS has just announced that it's crawling even deeper in bed with MontaVista Software in order to "accelerate development of smart mobile devices." More specifically, the two have released a "pre-integrated software stack combining the ACCESS Linux Platform with the MontaVista Mobilinux operating system," which should purportedly hack down the engineering time required for DIY integration along with decreasing "associated costs and risks." Reportedly, the ALP-Mobilinux software stack is up for grabs right now on the Texas Instruments OMAP2430 processor, and while specifics are unfortunately absent, we are told that additional hardware platforms will be added in the months ahead.

TI touts chips for integrated pico projectors, HD recording on mobiles

It's no secret that Texas Instruments has been pushing to get its technologies into more cellphones for awhile now, and considering that even Nokia reckons that HD recording capabilities in mobiles is but a few years away, it's not too shocking to hear what TI busted out at Mobile World Congress. Reportedly, the firm has unveiled "a chip to support cellphones with mini projectors and another chip that would let users record high-definition video on their phones." After showing prototypes in the past, TI asserted that it had chips "ready for production" for pico projectors that could be integrated into a variety of handsets, while the OMAP3440 -- which would let consumers capture HD footage on the same device that gives those thumbs a workout -- will be available in Q2 for handset makers to test out.

Samsung's HSDPA-equipped G810 slider gets official


Maybe it's just us, but the image pictured above sure looks a helluva lot sexier than the blurry depiction we saw of Samsung's G810 just last week. Along with just about everyone else in the mobile world, Samsung is making its striking do-it-all slider official at Mobile World Congress, and it's packin' quite the specs list. We're talking HSDPA, a 5-megapixel camera with face detection, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and image stabilization, a 2.6-inch QVGA display, built-in GPS / WiFi, a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and a 12.9-millimeter-thick frame. All that's for sure is a March 2008 release for those in Europe, but word on the street pegs it right around €580 ($840).

The Nokia N96 redefines "high-end"


Rumored for a few weeks now as the N95's successor in waiting, the mighty N96 dual slider has gone all official on us at Mobile World Congress today. Though the phone it replaces is still a beast by any measure, the N96 pushes the envelope further by packing a solid 16GB of storage internally in addition to a microSD slot, something the N95 8GB lacks. The 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens carries over, but there are now two LEDs doing flash and video light duty. The 2.8 inch QVGA display will come in handy for the integrated DVB-H mobile TV tuner, while a 3.5mm headphone jack, A2DP, and integrated stereo speakers should handle audio with aplomb. Other features include WiFi, AGPS, and morphing lights on the smaller second slide that hook the user up with game controls when it's time to relax with a little N-Gage action. Unfortunately, the first version of the N96 (and the only version announced thus far) supports HSDPA only on the 900 and 2100MHz bands, but we imagine the strength of the spec sheet should still be enough to sell a few of these stateside when it launches in the third quarter for €550 (about $797).

Update: The fine crew at NokNok have the first video of the N96 in action. Check it after the break.

The Nokia N78, in European and North American flavors


The revamped Nseries lineup is coming fast and furious since the launch of the N81 and N82 late last year, and the latest candybar to get the updated industrial design is the N78, a midrange handset (by Nseries standards, anyway) with an integrated FM transmitter setting it apart from the crowd. Another notable feature is its picture geotagging capability, made possible by the 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera paired with integrated AGPS. Other than that, it's pretty much your average S60 Third Edition Feature Pack 2 piece with Bluetooth and WiFi, though it's the very first Nseries model to be announced in both European and North American 3G versions simultaneously -- and if that's not progress, we don't know what is. Look for it to start stocking shelves next quarter for €350 (about $507).




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