The N810 has 4 hours of battery with the display on and LAN active and 10 hours when playing just music. It has a slide-out QWERTY and still manages to be a nearly anorexic .55" thin. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack and can support almost all forms of media. Coming out in a week or so at a price of $480. I am excited to see one of these things in action.
NBC Direct also failed to make it portable media so we aren't sure why you would want to use it, but oh yeah it's free so we will shut up.
[via http://gizmodo.com]
Well now with Google's Android becoming a reality you may be wondering what the Ballmer has to say about it ? Fret not the big mouthed CEO is not shy. Stevie B says Android is "just a bunch of words on paper." He may be true but it is also a few million words on something called the internet which Google seems to own right now. Apparently he isn't totally brain dead he does admit, "In the realm of search specifically, Google would lead."
There may not be any phones running Android and it's that there isn't even a Developers Kit yet but maybe M$ shouldn't be so arrogant, they may find themselves slipping into IBM obscurity. Maybe not quite, but WinMo is nothing to brag about.
[via MobileTechNews.com]
What could these two possibly have against each other. A name of course. Blackberry does not like LG using the words 'Black', 'Blue' or 'Berry'. The real problems arose from a few LG headsets named 'Blueberry' and 'Strawberry'. RIM is asking that all the phones made bearing those words be destroyed. RIM, take a deep breath, please.
http://www.blackfriday.info/ads/circuitcity-black-friday-ad.html
It looks very interesting, no surprise there. A very polished directory to look up business hours. ValleyWag has got the exclusive, so hop on over and check it out.
http://valleywag.com/tech/exclusive/screenshots-of-first-googlephone-app-320226.php
Not sure if you have noticed this system yet but soon you will. So log on and see if facebook can target you appropriately.
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It's a concept phone but it would be fun to see it in action, if you can handle seeing someone talking into a pen.
The Venus is an update to the popular Chocolate slider. The Venus is a slightly taller and wider than the Chocolate but less thick. It will come in black and pink and offers two screens when in the closed position. The primary screen is 2" and the secondary touch screen just beneath it is 1.49" (see photo above). Features include a 2 megapixel camera, microSD support, Bluetooth and VCAST. Priced at $199 after rebates and a 2 year contract.
The Voager is even more impressive. Utilizing LG's new flare for touchscreen functionality this qwerty clamshell has a very impressive 2.5" screen on the outside with many short cut icons (think iPhone). Stepping up is game from the enV is what LG is doing here with a huge host of improvements. Priced at $299 after rebate with a 2 year contract.
Both phones will be shipping later this month. Check out http://www.verizonwireless.com to pre-order.
[photos via phone-review.com]
A few days ago Verizon seemed to step up and announce that for each month you are into your contract you will be credited $5 off of the $175 ETF, if you plan on leaving. Not bad at all. They also stated that changing your plan would not extend your contract. Not long after Verizon's announcement T-mobile made a similar statement saying they were making pro-rating a part of their ETF policy but said the changes would come in early-2008.
Then a few days later Sprint announced a nearly identical plan. They sweetened the deal by also saying that they would make courtesy calls to new customers, give better deals to current customers, and send notifications when large overage charges are being incurred. More Sprint ETF information will be available in early-2008, just like Tmo.
Seems like either this is a long time due or these guys are shaking in their collective boots at what AT&T is doing. Now all we need is a 50% cut in Data pricing and SMS packages...
WebKit the technology that Safari is based off of is slowly expanding in development land and will eventually be available on all mobile phones. But there are many non-iPhone users like me who need instant satisfaction. http://www.webkit.org
Microsoft, the company known for dissappointing (I am a stockholder, I can say that) has been working on a mobile browser called Deepfish. Having tried it out after waiting months for a activation code I was impressed. It looked as though Microsoft had grasped the idea of "zooming" in to specific locations of a webpage, instead of scrolling. Microsoft, may however leave this as prerelease vaporware-like app because for the past two months Deepfish has been deactivated. That and an ambiguous press release from M$ led msmobiles.com to suppose the project may have been just to test the waters and is now discontinued, but that is just rumor. Keep checking this site for updates. http://labs.live.com/deepfish
Just like the Blackberry browser I don't think there should be any mention of the Pocket IE experience. It has been a fact of life for most WinMo users and is downright depressing to use. Unless you are using a mobile friendly website like, say: http://technofilic.mofuse.com. (shameless plug)
If you don't remember the days before Firefox or Safari then you may have forgotten about a company named Opera. They first introduced tabbed browsing a while back and I was a fan of them on my old Thinkpad. They make two mobile compatible browsers Opera Mobile and Opera Mini. Opera Mobile is ready for any WinMo user to download (.cab) and run and some may see it as an improvement over PIE, to me it's a mess of bad font and awkwardly unfamiliar layout. It lacks the ever important zoom feature that makes Safari king and has kept Deepfish looking promising. Surprisingly it''s little brother Opera Mini that wins my highest praise. It requires a version of Java installed to run, which makes WinMo users have to scour the net, but it is hands down the best web experience. Infact my entire Blog is updated from a WM5 smartphone running Opera Mini 4.
If you need Java, Google: IBM MIDP2
Today Opera Mini 4 came out of beta,
Http://www.operamini.com
- 5 megapixel sensor, with a Xenon flash
- Bluetooth
- Integrated GPS
- WiFi
- A rotating screen smilar to the iPhone
- 3G connectivity, whic will make access too Nokia's music store a breeze
- NGAGE ready with two demos on board
Not sure if everyone will like the chrome finish and those keys look like they might not have the best feedback, but since there hasn't been any release date or price there is still a bit more time to mull it over.
A week ago Sprint made it known the time had come for the Pearl's coming out party and now it seems VZW has joined in, I for one am excited. Features include Bluetooth, SureType keypad, 2 megapixel camera with video recording and of course 1xTT and EVDO. Hop on over to BGR for the rest of the gallery.
[via BoyGeniusReport.com]
No they don't plan on selling us gas though we do admit ad-based gas sounds great. The plan is to rollout gas pumps with a bit more intelligence. Allowing you to find the museum you are looking for without having to ask a human how many left turns and stop signs to pass. It will have some sort of ads, ofcourse, but probably only in coupon form. This sounds great as long as I don't have to wait to fill up behind some guy plotting his day trip through the city.
The brand is pump is branded Encore S and soon 3,500 pumps across the nation will be printing out directions thanks to Google innovation.
[via Engadget.com]
This make sense considering the staggering amount of people 18-23 who are a part of a social network (some studies say 70%). Rolling this connection over into a company recruiting tool only makes sense. Factor in that people tend to play favorite with fellow alumnae, Kickstart! could help link you from beer guzzling frat brother to fast track corporate lifer.
If that didn't sound good Yahoo! is also offering a $25,000 prize to a person's alumnae group who recruits the most zombies to kickstart Kickstart! Check it out.
[via CompuerWorld.com]
[via Gizmodo.com]
All you need handy is your sites RSS feed address and you are basically done. They even have it ready for mobile ads courtesy of who else but Google, if thats you bag. So check it out for yourself at http://www.mofuse.com. Also be sure to bookmark Technofilic on your mobile of choice at http://technofilic.mofuse.mobi.
[via DownloadSquad.com]
Using that valuable time that's being wasted when connecting a call to target your demographic geographically and making it an acceptable form of advertising is what JAJAH claims to have done. Personally, I am sold. I will take any ad based system within reason to make a service free. However, give it some thought and think about how you feel about some bot listening in on that conversation with your grandma.
Link: www.jajah.com
[via arstechnica.com]
Apparently not much response is needed to sooth our needy nerve endings. Being shipped soon on Nokia's S60 this response is just 0.1mm of feedback. Done by letting the screen move 0.1mm and coding software to respond in the same way a standard button does is all it took. Really Nokia ? 10 years ?
Internally named "Haptikos" or "to touch" this technology was developed because of hardwired human need for not only the push of a button but the subsequent "push" back that occurs. When this new technology was tested on a user familiar with non-tactile response the user was convinced they were typing faster, even though this was not the case. When tested on someone who was not used to a normal touchscreen they did not notice this responsiveness, but when taken away they were upset. Basically, tactile response is part of human nature and thanks to Nokia it is now part of our tech nature.
[via redferret.net]
No word on whether the ATM will eat your card or what over draft fees will be, but atleast you won't have the little ones asking you for $10 every five minutes.
Up 25% from a year ago, and up from 1 billion text's per year in 1999 it doesn't seem to be letting up. Ease of use and price seem to be the largest factors for this staggering number. Prices have always been on the high side for mobile carriers in Europe and this may be the leading reason.
Code named "Maka-Maka" is going to be a more free and open app based social site that may compile Orkut, iGoogle and gmail accounts in order to compete against an ever threatening Facebook. The people over at good ole Goog are no dummies and if they utilize every web users need for their search results and link them to everyone they care to contact then I see this as a vital step towards the Google mission of "Organizing the world's information."
While the condensing of a few sites is always a good thing and the fact that they support RSS feeds is nice they fail to give any props in Link form to the sites that made their content from random internet image to image of the day. Not only is this suspicious but this community could also use more of a community cause after last check there were no comments under any of the top photos. So Picurls we love you but show your fore-fathers some lovin' and link 'em.
[via http://www.downloadsquad.com]
Throttling Torrent speeds during peak hours is their solution...instead of say spending profits on increasing their network strength. It is important to mention that some customers pay more for higher speeds which should be used for whatever they want. You would think.
What's next no more than 10 YouTube videos a day ? Stateside, Verizon hasn't been accused of this activity so I suggest checking them out.
Google has announced Android as its mobile operating system. Partnered with nearly all of the industries heavyweights sans Nokia, Apple, MSFT, RIM. The OHA, or Open Handset Alliance is a group made up of Motorola, Deutsche Telekom, T Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and 28 other companies that are partnering with Google for an OS that will be Linux based and no doubt take over the way we think of mobile devices. So does this mean the end to Windows Mobile and all other mobile OS ? The partners of the OHA, including Apple board member Eric Schmidt does not think so. The OS will be open platform and will be open to most hardware sets. A 200mHz ARM9 processor is needed and this platform will work on both QWRETY and non QWERTY keypads.
And for the Billion dollar question: "The networks these devices will run over... how does this platform relate to the 700MHz auction?"
Eric Schmidt:"Two sep initiatives; Android will run very well on all existing data networks. We think the 700MHz network auctions are a matter of public policy and for public benefit, but Android will run well on it..."
Well that wasnt enough information but I guess you cannot have everything in one conference call. The long and short of it is that Google has taken a HUGE step into the mobile phone industry by developing a Linux based OS that many phone, chip, and Telecom companies will adapt in the upcoming year. 2008: The year of Google.
The iPhone's popularity has really fueled a touch screen revolution in the mobile phone market with all the major players releasing very attractive handsets in the past few months. Now it is Samsung's turn. It calls itself the M4650 Multi-touch, which we will cough up to a translation error because unlike the iPhone and Touch it has only single touch features. It will however support haptic feedback (maybe in the form of small vibrations?) to let the user know the tap was recognized which will be nice on its sizeable 2.8" screen. It's hard to guess what percent of handsets will be touchscreen only a year from now, one thing is certain; As screen size becomes more important those qwerty key pads may look more and more like a valuable waste of space. So go on tapping away on your silly Blackberry with real keys it may soon be an antique.
Oh yeah, unless you want to travel via Seoul Air to pick up a domestic only (for now) release then sit tight with the rest of us...if you do however don't forget to pick one up for Technofilic!
[via Textually.org]
For the past four years researchers from America's top universities have assembled extremely intelligent SUVs that are run entirely by remote for the purpose of racing other teams of life-sized remote control SUVs over a difficult desert course in a remote part of southern California. It may sound a bit silly but it has helped spawn a wave of new technology and help inch humanity closer to that elusive dream of SUVs that can drive themselves across California...The prize of $2 million is nothing to balk at however and CMU loves winning it every year a winner has been awarded.
In 2004 with only three teams participating CMU did the best. This year there were three teams out of eleven that finished in the 6 hour maximum. Finishing first was Stanford followed by CMU and Virginia Tech in 3rd. CMU was declared the winner on sunday because of other criteria such as safety and control, however, Stanford and VA Tech didn't go home empty handed with a $1 million and $500,000 second and thrid place prize money respectively.
