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NEC e636 3G (UMTS) cellphone
NEC managed to pack in 3G (UMTS) into their 13.9mm not-yet-announced e636 which makes it pretty slim for a 3G phone, although not-that-slim. Still, at 102mm (times two when open) it's one of the longer handsets you'll find. So it's no surprise to find this tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 handset toting a 262K color LCD, Bluetooth, MP3 player with dedicated music key, 32MB on-board memory with (unspecified) memory card slot expansion, and 2 megapixel camera under that big ol' hood. More pics after the break.
Samsung to release a Varioptic Liquid Lens cameraphone this year?
Remember that Varioptic liquid lens we told you 'bout a few years back? You know, that oil and water mixture which can be flattened via the application of voltage to achieve focus without using traditional servos or coil-based systems. Yeah, well Varioptics had some prototypes on display at 3GSM last week and Mobileburn was there to check out the lens retrofitted into a Sunex camera module with a TransChip sensor. The entire auto-focus system is free of moving parts, requires only 5-15% the power at 1/3 the cost of traditional systems, and features a 20 diopter range of focus capable of focusing on objects as close as 5-centimeters. And according to MobileBurn, quality from the prototype "seemed reasonable" for a non-production unit. Then again, Varioptic need not aim too high to better the images produced by those plastic camera phone lenses they hope to start replacing as early as Q3 when Samsung "might issue" a commercial release of a Varioptic equipped camera phone.
Qtek's first EDGE clamshell, the 8500 musicphone
It looks like Qtek will also be releasing the Windows Mobile-powered HTC Star Trek, following i-mate's announcement of their Smartflip, to be sold in Europe as the 8500. Surprisingly, Qtek's own site (linked) makes no mention of the Star Trek's smartphone capabilities, instead playing up the multimedia features like dual color TFT LCDs, 2-megapixel camera (which Qtek oddly claims to be only 1.3-megapixels-can you underclock a CCD/CMOS?), and microSD-supported music playback functionality. This will be Qtek's first foray into flip phones, unless you count the PDA-ish 9000 (a.k.a. the i-mate JASJAR, T-Mobile MDA IV), and one of their first models that supports high-speed EDGE data networks. Expect to see the Star Trek/Smartflip make a European appearance as the 8500 sometime in May.[Via Smartphone Thoughts, pic courtesy of Phonescoop]
3 offering first mobile fitness videos
We're not saying the typical cellphone user is too sedentary. After all, they're mobile phones, right? But just in case your definition of "mobile" means the phone is sitting next to you while you're driving (as long as you're using a headset or speakerphone, that is), you may be pleased to know that service provider 3 in the UK is going to begin offering the first made-for-cellphone fitness video series, "It's Fitness Time," beginning on February 20. We're not sure if watching a video on a tiny cellphone screen is likely to encourage anyone to get up and move, but we'll be on the lookout for Brits shaking it to workouts like "Rearly Amazing" while clutching their handsets.
Next-gen BlackBerry shows up at 3GSM
According to reports, a "chosen few" visitors to 3GSM this week got to see something special behind closed doors and under blood-signed NDAs (okay, maybe they didn't sign in blood): a prototype 3G BlackBerry that RIM is working on for release sometime later this year. Word is that, unlike most current BlackBerrys, which are staid business-only devices, the new one will be more smartphone-like, with the ability to run multimedia files, display Office documents and edit PowerPoint presentations (sounds like the focus is still mostly on business). The new model is expected to show up sometime in the second quarter for around $400, which will position it to compete directly with most Windows Mobile and Palm OS smartphones.[Thanks, Jason]
Moto and Yahoo show mobile podcasts
Lest you think Motorola is only working with Apple and Microsoft, the company also made sure to demo the ability of its phones to work with the Yahoo this week at 3GSM. According to Moto, an application that allows drag-and-drop downloading of podcasts via the Yahoo Music Engine may be made available for use with a range of phones. Of course, given that most podcasts are available in MP3 format, and many recent Motorola phones (not to mention those from other vendors) already support the standard, it's already possible to download podcasts without Yahoo's help. But we assume Ed Zander needed to show Terry a little love -- and remind Steve and Bill that he still has some other friends.
Verizon will help launch MySpace band contest winner
Think your band's got what it takes to impress a guy with 50 million friends? Well if you've the musical chops to win over Tom Anderson and his MySpace army (and the suits at Verizon- they have the final say on the winner), you could be the lucky beneficiary of more Verizon publicity than the "Can you hear me now?" dude. The big V is teaming up with the 'Space to hold the "Calling All Bands" contest, where some unsigned band will have a song produced and distributed through the V CAST download service. And since this is a mobile carrier we're talking about, the song will be made available as a ring tone, and even an annoying ringback tone, to Verizon subscribers. As if all that exposure weren't enough, Verizon is also ponying up to make a music video featuring the winning band, which--you guessed it--will be downloadable from V CAST as well.[Via MocoNews]
Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU2 to skip A2DP stereo Bluetooth?
WinMo, say it ain't so! Our pal Wouter over at Pocketinfo has it on authority from two sources at Microsoft's Windows Mobile baby mama that WinMo 5.0 AKU2 -- the update that puts the push in Mobile's push email, as well as adding Bluetooth stereo headset support -- will not be getting the A2DP profile after all. This would seem a little odd and inconsistent with everything we know about the release (having seen shots of the A2DP profiler before, like the one above), but if we really must wait until the AKU 2.2 ROM, then wait (unhappily) we shall.
Apple to remove the 100 song cap on iTunes phones?
We don't have a ROKR hanging around the office right now to try this out, but Evan DiBiase may (or may not) have come across upon a rather important feature in iTunes: an upgrade for iTunes phones to remove the infamous, dreaded 100 song cap. We can definitely confirm that the above image / dialogue shows up in iTunes (snap taken from iTunes 6.0.1.3), but it's still not exactly the least oblique language in the world, we can only assume here. Still, we kinda figured this would be coming sooner or later -- if Apple wants any future in musicphones, removing that iTunes cap is absolutely completely necessary.Update: Well, it was fun while it lasted. We've just received word from Apple that the 100-song cap is staying in place. Eddie Cue, the product manager for iTunes, spoke to Engadget's Ross Rubin, and confirmed that the upgrade screen exists for non-US customers, some of whom initially had caps as low as 25 songs, and brings their phones up to the 100-song limit. Of course, the very existence of the upgrade system raises tantalizing possibilities for the rest of us, but for now, that's all that's being raised.[Via TUAW]iTunes link
Global Video Sharing trials over IMS begin
Video Sharing interoperability trials over IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), which is a UMTS implementation of SIP, launched this week bent at least initially on allowing users to send live video during a voice call. The Swedish-led GSMA-sponsored effort spans the US, Europe, and Asia and is meant to ensure future Video Sharing services function smoothly between as many devices and carriers as possible. The support cast includes the usual suspects like the GSM majors (yes, including Cingular) and manufactures such as Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, LG, Motorola, Samsung, etc. Test are expected to be completed by Q2 ’06 but it's anybody's guess when these services might go live.
LG KG920 5 megapixel cameraphone coming to Europe!
3.2 megapixel camera phones in Europe are just like, so yesterday. LG just announced that their previously South-Korea-only C960 cell shooter is hitting the cobbled streets of Europe as a GSM-variety LG-KG920...with that same 5 megapixel auto focus camera, flash, and lens-cover built-in. Yeah, it also features Bluetooth, MiniSD to store your snaps, and an MP3 player which is nice, but g’damn, 5-freakin’ megapixels! Come on LG, South Korea will soon be awash in 8 megapixels, you can afford to throw the US a fiver-bone too!
Sprint's Mobile Music hits a million downloads
Apple may be well on its way to slapping "1 Billion Served" up on iTunes, but Sprint hit a little milestone of their own today. They announced that a million times have their customers laid down $2.50 for a Sprint Music Store dual-download track since being introduced last October on their Power Vision EV-DO network. Do we really believe that statistic? Well, a million downloads does sound like a lot for such a high cost (and we're not sure if this covers two downloads per dual-download), but hey, if they sold a million then they sold a million, what can we say? It certainly does say something for OTA tune downloads, if nothing else.
Toshiba cameraphone to grab product reviews via barcodes
Toshiba may not be a huge player in the cellphone market (the Vodafone Japan clamshells pictured at the right were among the few recent-vintage Toshiba models we were able to find), but that doesn't mean the company can't come up with innovations for cellphone customers. Toshiba's latest idea: using a cellphone's camera to scan product barcodes, which are then transmitted to a computer that does a database lookup and checks hundreds of blogs for reviews of the product. The server then returns a yay or nay to the phone, based on the blogosphere's consensus. Similar data-mining services are already available online, but Toshiba hopes to capitalize on the convenience of making the zeitgeist available to shoppers instantly. Toshiba plans on beginning a test of the service in Japan as early as next month, before a full rollout sometime next year.
Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's W950i Walkman phone
Now that it's been officially announced at 3GSM, the buzz about Sony Ericsson's W950i Walkman phone is only growing stronger. PhoneScoop got a chance to go hands-on with the 4GB music powerhouse, and found it to be no less than "one of the most innovative mobile music experiences out there, even more so than the iPod." In particular, they liked the touchscreen display, which controls most of the music functions, allowing navigation by album cover and other intuitive parameters. Sounds sweet, and we can't wait to see -- and hear -- it for ourselves.Read (scroll down)
Swisscom inks first deal to broadcast FIFA World Cup to mobile phones
In a sign of these technology times, Swisscom just signed a deal making them the first operator to acquire exclusive broadcasting rights of the '06 FIFA World Cup...to mobile phones in Switzerland. The agreement covers all 64 matches and includes the ability to broadcast live and/or delayed streaming transmissions of the games in addition to highlight clips. We can only assume that Swisscom will be making these broadcasts available over that DVB-H network they've been testing as of late but the deal doesn't specify or limit the transmission medium. One thing's for sure, there will be more of these announcements as vendors attempt to grab initial footholds in the race towards mobile digital TV.[Via MocoNews]
Samsung's SGH-Z710 UMTS cellphone with 3.2 megapixel shooter
Samsung just announced their 3G SGH-Z710 at the 3GSM show. This tri-band GSM GPRS/UMTS clamshell is heading to Europe and joins the Sharp 903 by offering a massive (for Europe) 3.2 megapixel shooter, 2.15-inch QVGA (240x320) swiveling LCD, Bluetooth, TV-out, 1.1-inch external display, dual-speakers, and support for MP3 and AAC audio which can be stored on either the 128MB of onboard memory or MicroSD expansion. Hitting the high-street sometime in Q2. More snaps after the break.
Sony Ericsson's HBH-DS970 stereo Bluetooth headset with remote
Sony Ericsson just announced their HBH-DS970 Stereo Bluetooth 2.0 headset with remote control. Yeah, it's not completely wireless since you still have those cables dropping down to the Bluetooth-embedded remote. But hey, you want the remote anyway, and by not strapping those bulky Bluetooth cans to your ears we expect you'll be able to rock the house for the full 6 hours spec'd with less fatigue. Call coming in? No problem, son, since the caller ID and number slaps right-up on the remote's display allowing you to accept or reject the call even if you are listening to music on another Bluetooth-enabled device. Although it doesn't say in the announcement, that remote should wirelessly control any Bluetooth device throwing down the AVRCP profile, Sony Ericsson or not. Expect these to ship in the second quarter for a yet to be determined price. [via Unofficial Club Sony Ericsson, thanks Luis]
Philips introduces downsized DVB-H chip
It's an immutable law: cellphones must keep getting smaller until the risk of swallowing them is too great. Well it stands to reason that smaller phones require smaller components, which is why Philips has just downsized their DVB-H chip once again. This new chip, called the BGT215, measures a mere 7 x 7-millimeters- practically invisible compared to its 15 x 26 predecessor. The Philips Customer Development Kit will help get this terrestrial DTV chip to market faster, and upgradable firmware means new services can be programmed onto the chip after it ships, which could be anytime after March.
LG, BenQ license Flash Lite from Adobe
Adobe recently announced that both LG and BenQ have licensed a mobile version of the Macromedia Flash platform, known as Flash Lite, that will be used for the graphical interface on handsets from the respective manufacturers. Flash is seen by both companies as a way to give their phones some brand identity and help them stand out in the marketplace, while also serving to cut down on development costs. LG says it will begin shipping Flash Lite-powered models in April, while BenQ will deliver BenQ Siemens phones with Flash starting in Q4 of this year.
BT, Microsoft and Virgin partner for mobile TV
BT, Microsoft and Virgin Mobile are set to announce plans to roll out a digital TV service for UK cellphone users. The service, which would have a trial later this year and launch officially in 2006, would have a minimum of five channels, along with a range of audio-only offerings. The system would be based on DMB services currently being marketed in Korea. The service is expected to be branded Virgin Mobile TV; pricing and other details are expected at an announcement on Tuesday at 3GSM.
