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Ogo CC-10 throws time-tested formula to the wind, goes portrait QWERTY
We haven't heard a solitary peep out of IXI Mobile in a hot minute, even though its Ogo line -- once a member of Cingular's lineup -- had found some niche popularity among teens and the deaf community. We'd even thought they'd gone into R&D hibernation, actually, but apparently not -- they're innovating. They're innovating so much, in fact, that they've innovated themselves right out of the landscape clamshell form factor that made the Ogo famous. This Inventec-sourced CC-10 we just spotted in the FCC looks more Centro than Ogo, though all of the original's features -- notably strong IM and social networking support -- carry on through to the new model. At any rate, we can say that IXI doesn't intend to break back into the North American market -- at least not with this exact unit, anyway -- since GSM 1900 and Bluetooth are the only features it bothered testing.
Dude, he invented the friggin' iPod. Have you heard of it?
Meet Kane Kramer. In 1979, he filed a patent for a device called the IXI, an early digital device that held about three minutes of music. He let the patent lapse a decade later, and never saw a penny from Apple's blistering success with the iPod. You might think this was a story of a bitter man with an agenda against Apple. There, you'd be wrong. Apple was dealing with a lawsuit from Burst.com in which they claimed to have originally come up with the idea for the iPod. Apple asked Kramer to testify on their behalf, talking about how he filed his patent years before Burst did. Instead of fighting further, Burst and Apple settled out of court. Kramer was paid a consultancy fee for traveling to California and making his deposition. "The questioning by the Burst legal counsel there was tough, ten hours of it. But I was happy to do it," Kramer told the Daily Mail. "To be honest, I was just so pleased that finally something that I had done which has been a huge success and changed the music industry was being acknowledged." Presumably on friendly terms, Kramer is negotiating now for compensation from Apple with regards to his original idea. [Via Valleywag.]
Apple credits Kane Kramer with invention of the digital audio player -- sort of
Apple phoned up Kane "world's biggest failure" Kramer recently and had him testify in court against on Burst.com on Apple's behalf. It was a bit of a coup for Kramer, who invented the digital audio player in 1979 (with a whopping 3.5 minutes of song capacity), lost the patent when his company IXI went bankrupt in 1988, and hasn't made a dime off the idea since. While Apple was happy to use his expert witness to get out of a legal bind with Burst, and to pay a consultancy fee, there are no plans to give Kramer a slice of that iPod revenue pie. "To be honest, I was just so pleased that finally something that I had done which has been a huge success and changed the music industry was being acknowledged. I was really quite emotional about it all." Still, he's looking for a bit of cash from Apple for his copyrighted drawing of the player (above), which bears an uncanny resemblance to Apple's iconic player.[Via MAKE]
IXI falters, gives up on US market for Ogo
Unbeknownst to us, little ol' IXI Mobile has apparently still been "competing" in the US with its Ogo line of messaging devices, despite the fact that it has been all but MIA since disappearing from AT&T's lineup (the old, pre-Cingular AT&T, that is) back in 2005. The emphasis is on "has," though, because the San Francisco Business Times is reporting that IXI is now officially pulling out of the US to concentrate on overseas ventures where it has seen just a bit more luck. Even so, the company is hemorrhaging cash with an $11.4 million second quarter loss, just $8.1 million in the bank, and a host of fresh layoffs, firings, and losses -- including the CEO, executive co-chairman, and CFO in one fell swoop. Messaging, the Ogo's strong suit, is a game that plenty of full-fledged cellphones now have down to a science by packing in QWERTY keyboards in one of several form factors; at the time of the original Ogo's launch, that wasn't the case. So the real question IXI's gotta be asking itself here becomes: is the Ogo still relevant, overseas or otherwise?[Via mocoNews]
OgoClips make your Ogo CT-25 better, clippier
The IXI mobile Ogo CT-25 features a gimmicky -- but undeniably cool -- area on the hinge where they've left space to clip on one of a small pile of attachments. The list currently features the Handset OC-HS1, a wireless handset that clips on your shirt and uses the Ogo to charge, extending a small slider answers an incoming call and the reverse hangs up. Need blink? IXI also has the Lights OC-LT1, a multicolored LED light that can be configured to flash for different events, with different colors used for distinguish between say a text and an email. Also up on the site is the Stream OC-ST1, a Bluetooth headset that can be used with the Ogo for calls and streaming music. Last up -- yeah, we've saved the strangest for last -- is the Bottle Opener OC-BO1 (we're not making this stuff up) a, simple aluminum bottle opener that, umm, opens bottles. All of the powered devices use the Ogo as a charging station so they're ready whenever you need em, the other uses your lips and beverage of choice . No word on street date or pricing, but we're strangely drawn into the world of the Ogo now that they've brought all this nifty Kung-Fu to the table. Damn you IXI mobile!
Ogo 2.0 hits FCC, texters rejoice
Goodness, this is not a flattering shot of the new Ogo 2.0's interior. That's alright, though; it's still better than the original, and we imagine there's a healthy contingent of individuals out there searching the globe high and low for their now-ancient Ogo 1's replacement. Though there's no word on whether AT&T will breathe more life into the Ogo platform stateside, it technically possible thanks to this particular model's quadband GSM radio plus EDGE. The addition of voice calling (a feature notoriously missing from developer IXI Mobile's first effort) makes the device a legitimate Sidekick competitor -- but if we're to judge from looks alone, they've got a little ways to go yet. Check the FCC filing for some more (non-)glamor shots and the user's manual.
Globetrotting Ogo goes to Latin America
Some upstart device manufacturers might run off with their tails between their legs after the tepid reception they received from ATTWS and its US customer base, but IXI Mobile has proven that persistence really does pay off. After making some healthy inroads in Europe and Israel, the company is turning its attention to Uruguay, where they have inked a deal with carrier ANCEL to offer its Ogo messengers and support the devices on the back end. No word on which Ogo(s) will be offered, but for the sake of our Uruguayan friends, we hope it's the CT-15/17, which is the only model in IXI's lineup that features voice capability.
Ogo a go in Germany with CT-17 for 1&1
IXI Mobile has made good on its MacArthur-like promise to return to the mobile messaging arena, with the launch of the CT-17 in Germany. As previously reported, the handheld will be selling for about $60, with monthly plans, marketed through 1&1 as the Pocket Web service, starting at about $12. Unlike IXI's original effort, the text-centric AT&T Ogo (which IXI still markets in some countries), the CT-17 has broad support for a range of services, including web access and voice features (via an external headset). Voice and web functions were among the reasons for the original Ogo's failure to catch on (that and the fact that AT&T sort of lost interest in it amid the company's acquisition by Cingular). PocketWeb is being positioned as a lower-cost competitor to products like the Sidekick and BlackBerry, and with the new features and attractive pricing, the Ogo may just be a go this time around.[Thanks, Jerry]
