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musicphone posts

Ears-on with Sony Ericsson MH907 Motion Activated Headphones

by Richard Lai posted Nov 4th 2009 at 11:25AM

What we have here today isn't just another pair of ordinary headphones: Sony Ericsson's MH907s are button-free, minimalistic headphones that activate upon the magical touch of your skin. Well, your ears to be precise. You must bear in mind that the MH907s are exclusive to Fast port-equipped Sony Ericsson phones thus excluding the forthcoming XPERIA X10 -- so chances are you're already not interested. That said, we shall see if Sony Ericsson is really going to change things forever with these gleaming buds featuring SE's SensMe Control technology, or by just stopping everyone from using their 3.5mm headphone jacks. Read on to find out how these €39 ($57) headphones fared.

Gallery: Ears-on with Sony Ericsson MH907 Motion Activated Headphones

Continue reading Ears-on with Sony Ericsson MH907 Motion Activated Headphones

Motorola debuts ROKR E8

by Paul Miller posted Jan 7th 2008 at 1:09AM

This one's no secret, Moto leaked the ROKR E8 way back in September, but the company is finally getting official with the musicphone at CES tonight. The phone is free of physical keys, with a completely smooth face and vibrating haptics to denote key "presses." There's a nav wheel in the middle, which might not be the revolution Motorola is touting it as, but sure looks nice. The handset has 3.5mm headphone jack, 2GB of flash storage, a microSD slot, FM radio and a microUSB plug. The phone is Linux-based, and Moto is quite proud of its audio fidelity, but we suppose the proof is in the listening. No launch or price info just yet.

Sony Ericsson gets official on the W910 and K850

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 11th 2007 at 9:57AM

For you Walkman / Cyber-shot buffs out there who've been dying to get your hands on some new phoneage -- look no further. The Sony-Ericsson dreamteam have just announced the official release of two of its new mobile phones sure to have player haters... um, player hating. The W910, which we took a look at back in June, apparently has music-playin' on its mind, though with HSDPA, a 1GB Memory Stick, and its "shake" feature (which allows you to jostle the device to switch songs or randomize playback), you might find other uses for it. If you're more of an Ansel Adams-type, you can get your mitts on the K850, a camera-minded phone that's got a considerable 5-megapixel camera (with a Xenon flash / video light), has more of that beloved HSDPA, and can do 30fps video -- if that's your thing. Both of these sweet babies will be available in "selected markets" this month, no word on price.

Samsung's musicphone lineup ready for Europe

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 10th 2007 at 4:23AM

Samsung just got busy with a trio of MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, and WMDRM supporting musicphones: the dual-sliding SGH-i450, slim SGH-F330 with HSDPA, and SGH-F210 swivel stick. Most impressive is the €360/$508 Symbian i450 with Touch Wheel music navigation pictured above. Slide 'er up and you're holding an S60 3rd Edition smartphone with 3.6Mbps HSDPA data beneath a 2.4-inch LCD. Slide 'er down to expose metallic speakers with a B&O ICEpower amplifier and Samsung music UI for controlling the tunes stored in its 35MB of internal memory or up to 4GB on microSD expansion. Sure, Bluetooth A2DP stereo audio, 3.5-mm headphone jack, and FM radio as well. The €260/$367 F330 features the physical music controls of the F300 while packing 3.6Mbp HSDPA, a 2 megapixel camera, and up to 2GB of microSD expansion in a slider measuring just 13.5-mm thin. The F210 then, is a GSM version of the U470 already nabbed by Verizon as the Juke. It offers up to 20-hours of audio playback from the included 1GB storage or microSD expansion -- we hear it makes phone calls too. Sorry US Americans, all these phones are tri-band GSM and set to launch around Europe starting this month.

Gallery: Samsung's musicphone lineup ready for Europe

AT&T launching LG CU575 "Trax" HSDPA musicphone later today

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 13th 2007 at 2:40AM

With those last minute bugs now apparently eradicated, LG has officially announced plans to deliver their 3G CU575 "Trax" clamshell to AT&T. Touting 850/1900MHz HSDPA 3.6Mbps-capable downloads and quad-band GSM, this flip fancies itself a part-time media player with the inclusion of a Touch Pad bar and up to 4GB of microSD expansion for your AAC, MP3, and WMA music files. Still no word from AT&T but we expect the announcement later today with all the pricing detail you crave.

Update: The joint press release is finally out: available August 14th for $130 after mail-in rebate and two-year contract.

Read -- launch announcement
Read -- CU575 specifications

Sony Ericsson's new MBW-150 Bluetooth watch rocks AVRCP

by Evan Blass posted Jun 14th 2007 at 12:46PM

Bluetooth wristwatches are all the rage lately -- or at least Sony Ericsson hopes so, because it has a vested interest in most of them -- and just like we suspected, the JV has announced its latest model, the MBW-150, complete with AVRCP support for wireless control of your music phone. This followup to the MBW-100 comes in three styles (Classic, Music, and Executive, pictured left to right) that all perform the standard caller ID / SMS notification thing, while tossing in the highly-desirable ability to change tracks and adjust volume as well as view track info on the face. No pricing or release details were immediately released, so we'll keep ya updated.

Sprint announces Samsung UpStage, 99 cent songs over the air

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 26th 2007 at 3:02PM

As expected, Sprint has announced the SPH-m620 "UpStage" dual-faced musicphone today, giving Sprint a decided "wow" factor in its lineup -- for the moment, at least. Manufacturers seem to be turning to unusual form factors in an effort to gain some differentiation in a crowded high-end and specialty phone marketplace, and the UpStage fills the bill nicely with a full side devoted to traditional phone activities -- "calls, text messaging, and contact management" to use Sprint's verbage -- while the entirety of the flip side takes the form of a traditional MP3 player; a button press switches between sides. Naturally, the phone offers a microSD slot for up to 2GB of external storage, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and stereo Bluetooth, while an included 3.5mm jack adapter lets folks use more traditional headsets if they so choose; even cooler, incoming calls are announced via text-to-speech while you're jamming out. Also included is a Music Manager app for sideloading tunes to the phone via USB and a unique "battery wallet" boosting the phone's stamina for playing music up to a solid 16 hours or 6.3 hours of talk time (up from 2.5 hours talk time without) -- you sacrifice a bit of girth from the phone's normal, svelte 1.73 x 4.07 x 0.37 inch form, but for music junkies, the tradeoff may be worth it. Simultaneously with the phone's release in early April, Sprint will be offering 99 cent over the air (nice!) music downloads good on its entire Music Store catalog, which we reckon is just perfect for a phone of the UpStage's nature. Look for it to hit shelves for $149 on a two-year agreement with a $50 rebate available.

Gallery: Sprint's Samsung UpStage

Samsung m620 to be christened "UpStage" for Sprint

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 25th 2007 at 12:50PM

So it won't be called the "Flipper" or the "Ultra Music" -- no, it seems Sprint wanted a name all its own for the very unique m620 musicphone from Samsung. When it launches at CTIA this week, the two-faced handset will get slapped with the name "UpStage," which in our opinion really doesn't convey the craziness of the phone's form factor appropriately -- but does give a nod to its unusually strong audio capabilities. As the Flash presentation points out, the UpStage's key features include touch-sensitive music controls, a 1.3 megapixel cam (which is shared with the phone side's face), stereo Bluetooth, built-in speakers for rockin' out the old-fashioned way, and microSD expansion. We're hoping that everyone is going to be able to waltz into their friendly local Sprint store in the next few days and pick up an UpStage of their own, but either way, expect some serious hands-on action from the floor of CTIA!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung's F200 music phone stays slim and trim

by Darren Murph posted Mar 16th 2007 at 9:05PM

Your options for a slim music phone are nearly limitless, and if you dig the sliders of the world, you've probably eyed Samsung's X830 a time or two before. The handset has apparently went over fairly well, as now we're seeing a very similar successor hit the market with a trimmed down feature set. The F200 touts the same elongated design, a 1.46-inch 220 x 128 resolution external display, support for MP3, WMA, OGG, DCF, and SMP file formats, and a paltry 5MB of internal storage versus the 1GB found on the X830. Thankfully, Samsung included a microSD slot for toting more than a tenth of an album at any given time, and you'll also find a hold switch and headphone jack to compliment the musical abilities. Per usual, there's no word just yet when this sucka will hit the market nor how much it'll run you when it does, but judging by the lackluster feature set, it'll shouldn't hurt too bad. Click on through for a few extra views.

[Via Slashphone]

Continue reading Samsung's F200 music phone stays slim and trim

Sanyo M1 pics revealed, launch set for the 3rd

by Paul Miller posted Dec 2nd 2006 at 10:47AM

The rather decked Sanyo M1 has managed to get musicphone-yearnin' Sprint fanboys salivating already, without even a complete set of press shots to glom onto. Well, we're here to set the story straight, with a few press photos from an anonymous tipster of the M1 in all its glory, along with a full-on spec sheet for your perusal. As evidenced by those eBay shots we spotted in October, the phone isn't exactly RAZR bustin' when it comes to slim, but it's still plenty pocketable, and those fancy deets like 1GB of memory, a 2.0 megapixel camera (with flash), A2DP, and a QVGA internal display should justify the bulk here -- for wearers of all but the slimmest of jeans, at least. The best news is that the phone is purportedly set for a soft launch tomorrow, December 3rd, and some reports are coming in of phone orders going through already. Apparently the phone costs $349 -- we believe that's without contract -- but we suppose we'll find out all of this tomorrow, so no use sweating the small stuff at this point. Keep reading for that spec sheet and a few jumbo pics.

Continue reading Sanyo M1 pics revealed, launch set for the 3rd

Nokia's XpressMusic 5300 and 5200 announced, 3250 gets makeover

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 27th 2006 at 5:09AM

If the hoard of N-series Nokias raining down from Espoo yesterday was a bit too much on say, the fuddy-duddy side of the generational slope, then check these new XpressMusic cellphones kiddies. Well "new" only if you missed the 5300 and 5200 peeped before. Still official is official so let's run 'er down again. The 5300 slider is the biggest news here, going tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900MHz with GPRS/EDGE support and 262k color TFT LCD, QVGA (240x320) resolution. It features up to 2GB of microSD storage, dedicated music keys, an adapter for 3.5-mm headphones, built-in IM software, FM radio (with Visual Radio), 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and an expected retail of €250 pre-tax, or $317. The 5200 shares the looks of the 5300 but features an even lower rez camera and display for a pre-tax price of €200 or $254. Meanwhile, the original XpressMusic 3250 twister sports a new look with added support for 2GB microSD cards. Expect the 3250 to pull a pre-tax €400 or $507. All phones, according to Nokia today in New York, will "begin shipments in select markets within weeks." MobileBurn however claims that a US variant of the mix will hit Q1, so who knows. Click-on for a snap of the updated 3250.

[Via MobileBurn]

Continue reading Nokia's XpressMusic 5300 and 5200 announced, 3250 gets makeover

Wild speculation: iPhone to launch in August?

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 29th 2006 at 1:33PM

Alright, dear readers, you know the drill: proceed with caution. We have no confirmation here, but sometimes a tip is too juicy not to share, no matter how suspect it might be. A reader is reporting to us that a coworker's tech-unsavvy friend, who is regularly hired by Apple to do marketing photo shoots, was recently brought on to take some shots of "the sleekest, sexiest damn phone he's ever seen." The launch date? "Some time in August." Yeah, not a typo -- August. Now, to be perfectly clear, we don't know what the iPhone (if it exists) will be actually called, we've never seen a real pic of the elusive beast, and this doesn't really jive with the time frame suggested by Peter Oppenheimer's recent comments -- but we want to believe, and we don't have to wait very long for this one to get debunked or confirmed.

Apple on iPhone: "We're not sitting around doing nothing"

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 20th 2006 at 2:26PM

Apple's been dogged with rumors of an iPod / phone hybrid (the real deal, not a rehash of a Moto E398 with iTunes support) for nearly as long as the iPod's been kickin' around. Apparently looking to beat the dead horse yet again, an analyst mentioned Sony's success with their Walkman line of music-oriented phones during Apple's Q3 earnings call, prompting CFO Peter Oppenheimer to respond with a fairly solid non-denial: "As regards cell phones, we don't think that the phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is. But over time, that is likely to change. And we're not sitting around doing nothing." Knowing Apple, of course, this is about the biggest admission we'll get until the iPhone actually drops, so relish in the moment, keep your eyes peeled in a year or so, and if you're really hard up, you could fashion your own, like the pictured Nokia 6680 makeover.

[Via MacDailyNews]

Samsung's SCH-V940 slider packs 1GB

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 7th 2006 at 1:18PM

Do you find that the SCH-B570 is just a bit bulky to fit comfortably in your pocket? Are you cool with carrying around roughly one-eighth the tuneage? Do you live in South Korea? If you answered "yes" to all of the above, Samsung's new SCH-V940 might just be for you. Its 15.8mm of thickness might not make it the thinnest slider in the world, but it's pretty darn impressive considering the 1GB of flash it packs away for your music-toting pleasure. Besides the relatively vast storage, the EV-DO V940 gets you a glorious QVGA display and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Motorola, are you listening? This is how you make a sexy music phone.

Sony Ericsson's W42S 3G Walkman phone for Japan

by Thomas Ricker posted May 22nd 2006 at 8:20AM

We've been feeling the Walkman love from Sony Ericsson for what constitutes forever on a tech timeline. Oddly, Japan is only now getting their first taste of these little musicphones with the newly announced W42S. However, don't feel sorry for our ~~former~~ tech overlords just yet, the W42S packs in a cool 1GB of internal memory which can be supplemented with up to 4GB of Memory Stick Pro DUO expansion and sports a power saving mode allowing up to 30 hours of music playback. This 3G (CDMA2000) slider also features a 1.3 megapixel cam, a 2.2-inch 262k color QVGA LCD, FM radio, an EPG to keep you hip to the TV schedule, and a feast of dedicated player controls including a new mechanical wheel unique to Walkman phone navigation. And by partnering with KDDI, owners can snag music over-the-air via the 5 million downloads per month strong LISMO music service. No price announced but "local media" is reporting that this musicphone will fetch $181 (with contract and telco rights to your vital organs we presume) when these drop in late June. Click on for a few hands-on pics.

[Via Impress Watch]

Continue reading Sony Ericsson's W42S 3G Walkman phone for Japan