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Nokia 701 'Helen' gets a lookover from the FCC, likely includes pentaband support
If you like to play FCC bingo, pull your cards out for the next round; another Nokia phone has made it through the good graces of the US government. This time it's the Helen -- or, going by the new number scheme, the Nokia 701 -- which bears the identification tag "RM-774." This successor to the C7 is rumored to have a 1GHz CPU and come with Symbian Belle preloaded. While the veil that hides the Helen's secrets remains tightly draped over it, the filing indicates that it includes quadband GSM / EDGE and a pentaband 3G radio, a feature Nokia's opted to include in many of its recent smartphones. Of the four new devices on Espoo's leaked roadmap, we've already checked the Nokia 500 "Fate" and 700 "Zeta" off our FCC watch lists, leaving the 600 "Cindy" to bring up the rear at a future date. It's evident that the phonemaker is continuing to push forward with its Symbian plans at an impressive pace; after all, there's still five more years before the company's ready to wave goodbye to the platform, so why not milk it?
Qualcomm unleashes tri-band WiFi and new mobile wireless chipset
Qualcomm might be all juiced up about getting its Snapdragon processor in 250 upcoming devices, but that doesn't mean the company has forgotten its wireless roots. The San Diego-based chip maker announced that its partnership with Wilocity has finally bore fruit in the form of the AR9004TB chipset. This tri-band wireless setup adds 60GHz WiGig to the usual 2.4 and 5GHz dual-band 802.11n formula for "multi-gigabit in-room performance." Though far from finalized, the 802.11ad standard being pushed by the WiGig alliance should be able to hit speeds of 5Gbps -- more than enough to blast several HD video streams around your home. It also packs Bluetooth 4.0 for your less bandwidth intensive (and more battery sensitive) computing needs. Going smaller scale, Qualcomm also unveiled the WCN3660, a wireless chipset to complement its Snapdragon CPU in smartphones and tablets. Inside this sliver of silicon is a dual-band Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth 4.0, and an FM radio. It also supports Wi-Fi Display (not to be confused with WiDi) for beaming video to a WiFi-enabled TV or monitor. Head on after the break for more PR than you can shake an antenna at.
Sony's XDR-S16DBP wakes up from the DAB+ doldrums
Try as we might, we've never been able to get too worked up over DAB radio -- dab, just saying it rids the body of consciousness. But then we perked up after seeing the image above for Sony's retro-nouveau XDR-S16DBP micro -- a temporary burst of adrenaline nearly stifled by the more mundane XDR‑C706DBP clock radio found after the break. Both are compatible with the DAB+ digital broadcasting standard rolling out across Europe and offer ten DAB/DAB+ presets with an additional ten for FM. The £79 XDR-S16DBP portable brings a pair of 0.8W stereo speakers, a 16x2 character LCD display, sleep timer, and headphone jack while the compact XDR‑C706DBP is a more traditional DAB+/DAB/FM alarm clock with 0.4W speaker and 4 alarm presets. Both are available now.
H2O Shower Powered Radio blasts the Biebs by way of micro-turbine
Forget the tablet, 2011 is the year of the shower radio! Last week we reported on Toshiba's wirelessly connected water-proof song box and, just as our nerves began to settle from the excitement, someone came along and dropped this eco-friendly, shower-ready gem on us. Not only is the H2O Shower Powered Radio waterproof, but it actually uses the water from your shower to pump out the jams. The thing connects directly to your shower hose, and uses the flow of water to set a micro-turbine spinning, thus charging an integral battery and eliminating the need for disposables. As the video below points out, the radio "doesn't just offer 80s classics -- it has the full spectrum of FM," and its creators say it's compatible with 99 percent of showers, but what we really want to know is: how well does it crank the Ke$ha? Video after the break.
Qualcomm unveils next-gen Snapdragon family, including quad-core 2.5GHz CPU
Not one to let the name Snapdragon down, Qualcomm's gone and announced a much faster generation of the processor family, with speeds up to 2.5GHz per core. The multi-core (one, two, and four) 28nm chipsets, codenamed Krait, will feature WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and FM, support NFC and stereoscopic 3D video / photo (capture and playback), and also boast multi-mode LTE modem integration. Qualcomm claims a performance increase of 150 percent and a power consumption drop of 65 percent over current ARM-based CPU cores. Included is a new Adreno 320 GPU with support of up to four 3D cores. Samples for the dual-core MSM8960 will be available in second quarter this year, while single-core MSM8930 and quad-core APQ8064 (for "computing and entertainment devices" -- i.e. tablets) versions are coming early 2012. The power-crazed products housing these chipsets? You'll have to wait even longer to see those.
iKit debuts touchscreen-equipped AutoCon FM transmitter
FM transmitters may not usually be much to look at, but iKit has bucked that trend somewhat with its new AutoCon unit, which packs some illuminated touchscreen controls into a sleek, glossy black enclosure. You'll also naturally get a 3.5mm cable to accommodate the phone or MP3 player of your choice, along with a handsfree function, and a USB car charger to keep the device itself (or your other USB devices) powered at all times. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and look for this one to set you back $45.
New Potato reveals TuneLink Auto Bluetooth-to-FM transmitter for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
We've never been on the volunteer cheerleading squad for FM transmitters; in our experience, they're downright useless in cities or other areas that actually have a large amount of radio stations nearby. But we'll hand it to New Potato Technologies -- this may be the slickest implementation yet. The newly announced TuneLink Auto looks like a typical cigarette adapter charger at first glance, but within, there's technology that accepts audio over Bluetooth and then sends it out over FM. This prevents users from having to connect a dongle of any kind to their iPad, iPod touch or iPhone, but the built-in USB port is actually capable of charging all three should you choose. There's even a 3.5mm output jack for channeling the tunes to a 3.5mm input on your head unit, and the (necessary) accompanying iDevice app should hit the App Store soon for absolutely nothing. The hardware itself is available now from New Potato for $99.99, and it'll hit "select retail locations" in a fortnight or so for the same amount. %Gallery-108024%
Confirmed: Droid 2 hack brings FM radio, in one ear and out the other
When we heard that the Motorola Droid 2 was the latest Android handset to nab the ancient magic of frequency modulated audio using Droid X files, we just had to give it a try, and sure enough, if you've got root, the FM Radio app can be yours with a quick download and just a few lines of code. Before you run off to void your warranty, however, you should know it's got a fairly desirable feature missing -- it only plays audio out of the right earphone. But hey, if we're going old school, we might as well go all the way, right? Excuse us while we go listen to some glorious monoaural sound. Files and instructions at our source links, immediately below.
Ask Engadget: best FM transmitter out there?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Wes, who is actually brave enough to even consider an FM transmitter. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm in the market for a new car, and that has me thinking towards multimedia connectivity. I don't want to rule out direct iPhone integration, but since the car is almost certainly going to be used, I'd like to think more along the lines of AUX-in and FM transmitter capability. I've also read that many of the new products can enable hands-free cellphone use, so this would be great to include. Any recommendations for a good in-car charging unit with these features?" We'll go ahead and be straight with you -- if you're in the city or the suburbs, be prepared for long, frustrating fights to find a clear channel. We've never had much luck with 'em outside of the middle of nowhere, but maybe our dear readership will chime in with a few pointers below. Godspeed.
Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player adds internet radio to existing stereos
So, we've two main issues here. One, who in their right mind would pay $219.99 for a device that still requires a dedicated stereo in order to play back the internet radio streams that Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player delivers? And secondly, who would want to put up with Grace Digital's thoroughly lackluster UI? If you can't grok the grumbling, the aforementioned company now has a slender new component it'd love to stick on your shelf, with the device shown above able to stream WiFi radio content from 30,000 stations, Pandora, iheartradio, Sirius, Live365, MP3tunes and a smattering of other sources. It can be wired up via Ethernet or used over 802.11g, with composite, Toslink and coaxial digital audio outputs around back. There's a 4-line backlit LCD for displaying not nearly enough metadata at once, and there's even a remote thrown in for those looking to build out their collection. It's available now if you're feeling the itch, though we'd suggest you get that checked out before blindly indulging.
Nexus One now a step closer to FM radio support, thanks to modified kernel
As you may or may not be already aware, the Nexus One and HTC Desire have the same Broadcom chip. Seems trivial at cursory glance until you realize the Desire has a FM radio app, which should ergo be just as feasible on the Google-branded device. Cut to xda-developers' intersectRaven, who's released a custom N1 kernel that theoretically brings life to the FM receptor. It's available to download, but as for when you'll get a chance to really use this yourself, that's entirely up to the custom ROM developers updating their respective wares. For his part, Paul O'Brien said today he's already got it working on an upcoming Froyo Sense build for the device -- hang tight, folks, it's coming. [Thanks, John]
Sharp ships 1GHz IS01 developer's edition in Japan, minus all the goodies
Hoping to get your hot little hands on the tinker-friendly edition of Sharp's Snapdragon-powered IS01 Android MID? If you live in Japan, today's your lucky day -- assuming you're willing to overlook the possibility that the developer's version has been thoroughly neutered. According to a Japanese press release, JN-DK01 dev kits are now shipping, but apparently sans cellular modem (no phone calls, no 3G data) and without API support for FM and 1Seg connectivity. You'll still get to play around with that 960 x 480 multitouch LCD, experiment with IrDA and download Android Market apps over WiFi, but we're not quite seeing the point of working with a cheap-feeling Android 1.6 device stripped of its coolest toys.
Microsoft facing patent lawsuit over Zune Buy From FM feature
Looks like someone at Microsoft should be paying slightly more attention to the mail: an ophthalmologist (yes, that's right) in Illinois named Edward Yavitz is suing Redmond over the Zune's Buy From FM feature, saying he wrote the software giant a letter in 2006 that disclosed his two relevant patents on the tech, suggested how it could be integrated into the Zune, and asked for a deal. Two years and presumably zero replies later, a young Joe Belfiore introduced Buy From FM along with the Zune 3.0 software, which Ed says directly infringes on his patents -- and his lawsuit, filed ten days ago, asks the court to permanently stop sales of the Zune and award him triple damages in cash. Oops. We haven't dived too deeply into the patents themselves, but it looks like Ed's going to have a bit of a fight on his hands here, as the patents seem to describe systems that have preloaded content about music that's then accessed when a data trigger is received over the air, not just storing song information for later purchase over the Internet. We're sure the good doctor's attorneys have some high-powered arguments to the contrary, so we'll withhold judgment and see where this all leads -- we're guessing a quick settlement is in the cards, as fighting Microsoft might end up actually costing more than any percentage of royalties on total sales of the Zune. P.S.- If you're wondering why Apple hasn't been named for its similar iTunes Tagging feature... well, so are we. We'll see what happens.
Gear4 ups the iPhone alarm clock ante with SmartDock
These things are a dime a dozen, sure, but you can't fault Gear4 for trying. In fact, it has managed to create something that's marginally unique in a world full of me-toos, as the SmartDock relies on hardware and software aspects in order to shine. At first blush, the actual dock isn't much to look at, but the bundled app enables you to search through stations using the iPhone's touchscreen and pause / rewind at will. You can also sync the alarm clock to play through the dock's speakers, and it'll work just fine on the iPod touch. We certainly wish a remote would've been thrown in for good measure, but hopefully the whole package will be cheap enough to make us overlook the omission. Wink, wink.
TI stuffs WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and FM radios on a single chip, UWB and LTE are like 'hello?'
Heads-up, kids -- Mobile World Congress is but days away from liftoff, and it looks like Texas Instruments will be there with a purpose. The company has today introduced what it's calling the "industry's first quad-radio single chip," which throws 802.11n, GPS, FM transmit / receive and Bluetooth radios onto a single 65-nanometer WiLink 7.0 solution. Purportedly, this device reduces costs by 30 percent, size by 50 percent and bragging rights by 894 percent. The chip is currently sampling to OEMs with undisclosed names, which could mean that a prototype phone or two will be taking advantage in Barcelona. Fingers crossed.
Moto CLIQ hacked to enable FM radio, easy listenin' coming soon
We wouldn't rate the ability to tune FM radio highly on our wishlist of missing features on Motorola's CLIQ, but nonetheless an Android tweaker by the name of Eugene has figured out how to deliver it. The necessary receiving hardware for pulling down the Weekly Top 40 was actually there all the time, Eugene just needed some binary files -- and to believe. Once he believed hard enough, clapped his hands, and copied over those files, presto he was groovin'. He hasn't released a working version of his tweak to the world just yet, but we presume that will be coming soon enough.
Belkin releases FM transmitter with iPhone app for finding clear stations
Belkin has announced the release of their latest FM transmitter for the iPhone and iPod touch, the TuneCast Auto Live. You know these things -- they plug into your iPhone or iPod touch's dock connector, and then send a local FM signal out to your car's radio, enabling wireless transmission of your music or podcasts. I've got a Belkin transmitter already (the TuneCast Auto -- more on that in a second), but I'm interested in this new one, because it can be used with a free iPhone app [iTunes link] that will actually use your iPhone's GPS information to find a good station for you right away. That seems helpful -- my current issue with my Belkin is that here in Los Angeles, where the radio stations are almost as thick as the fast food joints, I can't seem to find a solid station to keep it on that's clear enough to actually listen to. If you're in a busy urban area, there's so many signals flying around that these transmitters are more or less useless. I don't know if the GPS app would help me (seems like I'd have to keep changing the car's station while I move even if I could find a clear signal here in the city), but if you're in the market for an FM transmitter and are in a place with a little more room on the radio dial, the $79.99 TuneCast is as good a choice as any. As for me, I'll probably go for an aux hookup straight into my dash the next time I have some car audio upgrade money.
Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark
We don't really have much use for radio over the airwaves -- hell, the closest we ever get to the halcyon days of rock'n'roll radio is the Flaming Groovies station on Pandora. But something as convenient (and as cute) as this next item just might get us back in the habit. A proof-of-concept by a small handful of designers (Wu Kun-chia, Wang Shih-ju, Chen Ming-daw & Liou Chang-ho), Flexio is a portable, printed, solar powered, paper-thin FM receiver that fits in a book -- or a pocketbook. Each radio is tuned to a specific frequency, so the design calls for boxed sets for different cities (for example, Taipei, Berlin, or Paris). Sure, it's probably not convenient to carry the whole box around with you, but you might want to hang onto KROQ in case you should ever find yourself wandering around LA late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Get a closer look after the break.
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXLV: the Nokia iPhone
Alright, so iPhone and N97 knock-offs probably aren't the rarest of gems around these days, but how many handsets do you know that can lay claim to being both? The Cooli902 takes the iPhone's 3.5-inch touchscreen, spit-shines a pretty realistic iPhone OS clone-job, and then adds the Nokia flavor with a fully fledged QWERTY keypad ripped straight from the heart of the N97. Not only does it open to that familiar angle, it also sports the same layout and what we can only imagine to be the same violent opening mechanism as found on the original Nokia handset. And to think that poor Philippe Starck had to pick between these two phones, when for only $143 we could have had both. More pics after the break, or hit the read link to get your own.
Sony joins 1,000-hour recording club with IDC-UX300
You really don't know how many voice recorders there are out there until you actually look. Sony's UX line of dictation takers / mp3 players has just undergone a gentle revamp with a freshened up control scheme and a bump in integrated storage. The new base model, UX200, will come with 2GB of flash memory, while the 4GB UX300 and 300F (both capable of more than 1,000 hours of recording) are differentiated only by the FM radio availalble in the latter. All models record in stereo mp3 format with added noise cancellation built in, while playback can be done at 21 different speed steps, allowing you to keep track of all the Scatman John wannabes out there. Battery life is rated at up to 15 hours for continuous recording, or north of 80 for continuous playback. Expect to see these showing up, in all their classy color options, in Europe early next month, and check past the break for the full PR.
