News on mobile phones, GPS devices, wireless services and applications, netbook PCs, tablets, and accessories

October 2009

Samsung Galaxy Spica touch screen smartphone for Google applications and social networking / 05:14 30-10-2009
What similarities powerful server computers and small smartphones have? Sure, both can connect to the Internet, run applications, and perform many useful things, but there is one core component that's the same: Linux software. Originally developed for a desktop PC almost twenty years ago, Linux operating system has become the de-facto server software for Internet servers and it is becoming increasingly popular on smartphones after Google adopted Linux for mobile devices and labeled it Android. Also Samsung has decided to add Linux smartphones to its product range.

The Samsung Galaxy Spica is a touch screen smartphone designed for multimedia, social networking and Internet access. The Galaxy Spica is powered by Google Android software, which means a bundle of Google applications and services, such as Google Maps and Gmail are included.

Its touch-sensitive display is 3.2 inch
Netbook, tablet PC and ebook reader all in one device / 06:01 28-10-2009
For a moment, we thought that all ebook reader devices would be alike. The most popular devices (at the moment) Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader are slim handheld tablets optimised for displaying text alone. Without a color display, without Internet access, without email, without the possibility to write down notes, getting an ebook reader means carrying an extra device along with a laptop PC. Not anymore, if we believe a company called Entourage achieves its goal and can develop an attractive product that merges ebook reader, netbook, and tablet PC into one small device.

The Entourage Edge is a netbook, tablet, and ebook reader with two separate displays. The black-and-white display is based on e-ink technology which provides flicker-free, high-contrast, and sharp images for reading ebooks and documents. Its resolution is 1200 x 825 pixels, and it is 9.7 inches in size. The ebook screen can display Epub and PDF documents. The color display, on the other hand, is a netbook PC screen that is powered by Google Android operating system.
Portable multimedia player can instantly backup photos from digital camera / 04:47 26-10-2009
Photographers who take plenty of photos during their shooting sessions tend to carry spare memory cards. It is a sensible solution for ensuring the storage capacity for digital images won't run out. It doesn't, however, solve another nasty problem; losing the photos already stored on memory cards. We have discovered a solution that pretty much protects photos already taken, even if the photographer forgets his backup strategy altogether.

The Epson P-6000 and P-7000 are high-capacity multimedia players that can be connected to a digital camera for instant image backups. When the P-6000 or P-7000 is connected to a camera with a USB cable, the device will automatically back up every picture on its hard drive instantly as the picture is stored on the camera's memory card. Once stored on the hard drive, the Epson devices can be used as photo and video viewers for checking out details in images. The backup feature is available for the Epson P-6000 and P-7000 devices as a free download on Epson.com. The feature is com
JoikuBoost smartphone application can share mobile network bandwidth for faster Internet access / 04:07 22-10-2009
JoikuBoost is one of the greatest innovations we have recently discovered in the mobile phone industry or one of the weirdest gizmos without real life application (other than being a toy for nerds). JoikuBoost application is aimed at boosting mobile network download speeds by sharing the bandwidth of multiple smartphones. Sounds exciting? We thought so. Let's explore what JoikuBoost smartphone application can do so that you can judge for yourself if you find the application useful.

JoikuBoost is a downloadable application for smartphones running on Symbian S60 software. After you have installed the application into a smartphone, you can connect, for example, your laptop to the smartphone using Wi-Fi. JoikuBoost application establishes connection to a mobile network, passing along the data it received from the laptop. In effect, JoikuBoost has created a WiFi-to-3G bridge from the laptop to the Internet. So, a laptop (or any device with Wi-Fi) doesn't nee
Nook ebook reader from Barnes & Noble is a unique combination of color, touch and e-ink technologies / 05:17 21-10-2009
The top management of the Barnes&Noble bookstore chain must have been hit by a terrible headache when Amazon launched the Kindle ebook reader device. Matters turned even worse when the device became an instant success. Finally, the Barnes&Noble management decided to re-enter the ebook business which the company left in early 2000s. Fortunately, the company had the foresight to design a different kind of ebook reader device than the Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader. Let's find out if the Barnes&Noble Nook can beat its competition.

The unique feature on the Barnes&Noble Nook ebook reader device is its color display. In fact, the Nook has another unique feature; it has two displays. It is not as crazy as it sounds. The large 6-inch display is built on e-ink technology which means it is intended for displaying text only. The black-and-white screen has high contrast and sharp fonts. Text is readable even in sunlight. The small screen, on the other hand, can display colors and it is touch-sensitive. The purpose of the color screen is to be the control
Tiny portable projector lets you reflect smartphone videos to a wall / 04:12 20-10-2009
Many smartphones are so powerful that it is possible to store a whole movie on the device and view the flick on the phone display. That's an excellent way to spend time on a train or during a flight. When you want to watch the video clip with friends, you need another solution. A number of smartphones come with TV out connectors for connecting the device to a TV monitor, but you need cables and know how to tweak both smartphone and TV settings. A new, more convenient solution for the small screen problem is to have a projector that can reflect the smartphone screen as a large image to a wall.

Since the key feature of a mobile phone, iPod, or laptop is that it is easy to take the device along, the projector has to be small and portable as well. The Cinemin Swivel is a tiny projector that can reflect 60-inch images to a wall or ceiling. The 480x320 pixel image is focused on the wall manually. The image source
Acer beTouch E200 smartphone features touch screen and numeric keypad / 04:41 19-10-2009
We all know Acer from its PCs, laptops, and netbooks, but lately, the company has been very active in smartphone business as well. It has introduced three smartphone product lines with a number of phone models in each category. Let's take a look at a smartphone with touch scren adnd numeric keypad.

The Acer beTouch E200 is a compact touch screen smartphone that also has a small numeric keypad. The keypad slides under the screen, making the unit just slightly thicker than a touch screen-only device. The beTouch E200 is built on Windows Mobile 6.5 software which means the product includes many useful applications from Microsoft, such as Live Messenger, ActiveSync, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Acer has complemented the selection of applications with a number popular programs, like Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Blogger.

The touch-sensitive display on the Acer E200 is 3 inches in size and 240x400 in resolution. 3 megapixel camera can record video clips. Built-in GPS receiver provides coordinates for Goo
Blackberry Storm2 is a major step towards messaging smartphones without hardware keyboard 06:32 16-10-2009
Canadian company RIM became a major mobile phone vendor when its email-focused Blackberry smartphones broke through in the North America. Two key factors contributed to the success: push email system that made it very easy for users to access messages from their corporate account and qwerty keyboard that made it easy to type messages. Nonetheless, nothing seems to be sacred for RIM as iPhone and other popular touch screen smartphones are pushing the company to move to touch-sensitive devices. RIM has now introduced the Blackberry Storm2, company's second touch screen phone model.

The Blackberry Storm2 (model numbers 9520 and 9550) comes with 3.25-inch, 480 x 360 pixel-resolution color display. The display is touch sensitive, built on a technology RIM has labeled SurePress. Since the Storm2 doesn't have a hardware keypad at all, messages have to be typed using an on-screen keyboard. The touch screen on the Blackberry Storm2 is trying to mimic the behavior of a hardware keyboard with audible clicks and with a feel of movement when p
High-resolution touch screen smartphone, the Acer NeoTouch / 05:38 15-10-2009
Practically every major PC manufacturer has decided to venture into smartphone business. So far, however, only few brands have succeeded in the highly competitive market. Whereas Apple has scored a huge hit with the iPhone, a major corporation like HP has introduced many smartphones but few people have even notice them. Acer introduced its first line of mobile phone products in early 2009, the Tempo series, but they didn't make a major breakthrough. Now, Acer has decided to expand its smartphone operation to Windows Mobile and Android-based products.

The Acer neoTouch is a touch screen smartphone built on Windows Mobile 6.5 software. Its large 3.8-inch display has high resolution of 800x480 pixels. Extra hardware, a 3D graphics engine, is boosting the performance of the large display. 5 megapixel camera can capture video clips at respectable 640x480 resolution. Acer is relying on Microsoft's touch screen software in the NeoTouch smartphone.

The Acer NeoTouch is quad-band GS
The tiny WikiReader includes the entire Wikipedia encyclopedia / 03:40 14-10-2009
Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, is one of the greatest success stories of free information sharing on the Internet. Thousands of volunteers have contributed articles to Wikipedia database, making it the most extensive (although many argue that its quality is lagging behind commercial products) encyclopedia on Earth. It is so easy to find information from Wikipedia that it is also one of the most visited destinations on the Internet. Amazingly, Wikipedia is free to use.

When you are away from your PC and desperately need information from Wikipedia, what can you do? OpenMoko, the company behind the Freerunner Linux smartphone, believes that the information stored in Wikipedia is so valuable that a dedicated device has its place in our pockets. OpenMoko has created WikiReader, a small handheld device that is dedicated to Wikipedia. The WikiReader device holds the entire Wikipedia database, which means it doesn't require any
Cable can store backup power for iPhone and mobile phones / 03:36 13-10-2009 Heavy users smartphones and portable media players suffer from dead batteries because they tend to use the Wi-Fi connection more often than ordinary mobile phone users or they love to view videos and surf the Internet on their smartphones. The worst thing is that the battery tends to die when there is no hope for getting a quick recharge. We have encountered a number of backup power solutions that provide extra juice for mobile phones and media players, but they are independent accessories from the actual device. It means that you have to remember to charge the extra battery separately and you have to remember to take it along when you go out. Until now, because a company called Xmultiple Technologies has invented an ingenious solution that brings extra power right there where you need it.

The XP1-2500 is a power cable you can use to charge your Apple iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, Zune, or mobile phone. You plug your mobile device into a power source as you normally would do and let the cable charge the battery in your mobile device and after that, you let it rec
Flo TV is a portable handheld device for viewing live TV channels / 04:16 09-10-2009 The possibility to view live TV shows on a pocket-size handheld device that has large touch screen sounds like an excellent idea. Or does it? Let's find out because Qualcomm has introduced a product called Flo TV which is a dedicated device for watching live TV programming on the go.

The Flo TV has built-in digital TV receiver. It is not, however, the same digital TV signal it can receive that you are watching on your living room TV. No, mobile devices like mobile phones and multimedia players that are powered by batteries use a digital TV technology that's specifically designed for power-restricted mobile devices that also can be moved around without losing the TV signal. Two mobile TV technologies, MediaFlo and DVB-H, are competing for the dominant market position. The thing is that mobile TV technology requires not only new hardware to the receiving mobile device, but it also requires the broadcaster to build a whole new network infrastructure specifically for mobile TV. So, the cost is stellar for deploying mobile TV in large scale using either MediaFlo or DV
Gloves that keep your hands warm and let you tap your iPhone / 05:13 08-10-2009
We love our touch screen phone. We love it so much that we don't see any chance of switching to a phone with hardware keypad for the winter. Yet, we are painfully aware of the inconvenient weather conditions during the winter. We have to wear gloves when it is cold, but we can't tap the Apple iPhone screen with gloves on. The iPhone multitouch screen simply doesn't react at all. So, we have to take off gloves in order to dial someone. Freezing. Unless ... someone has invented gloves that don't prevent tapping the multitouch screen used on the iPhone.

Dots Gloves has designed gloves specifically for iPhone owners. The secret is in the fingertips of the gloves. Two fingertips have tiny sections that allow the skin to touch the screen (see the photo). Three different types of touch screen gloves are available at the company web site in small, medium and large sizes. Prices range from $15 to $25.
Digital Frame Guy 02:11 08-10-2009 Digital picture frames can be used quite effectively in homes or offices, as an informational aide, but also to help business.
Large multitouch screen with Sense software on the HTC HD2 / 04:30 07-10-2009
Many experts believe that the Apple iPhone has had an advantage over other smartphones because of its multitouch display technology. A multitouch screen lets you manipulate objects using two fingers. For instance, if you want to zoom in to a photo displayed on the screen, you would simultaneously slide two fingers away from each another. It is a handy and fast way to control the phone once you get used to it. Many Apple competitors claim that two fingers is too complex for users to learn. One way or the other, we are happy to find out that there are other products with multitouch capability besides the iPhone.

The HTC HD2 smartphone has a large multitouch screen. The display is one of the largest we have seen; 4.3 inches, 800x480 pixels. Altough the HD2 is running on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 software, HTC has added its own touch screen software to provide multitouch capability and a different (or improved) menu system to the phone.
Slim and compact full-HD video camera: Toshiba Camileo S20 03:45 06-10-2009
You know how a full HD (High-Definition) TV looks like, right? A large, flat panel display. It makes you wonder what kind of gigantic video camera is required to shoot full HD movies. Well, since the whole system; cameras, film editing, broadcasting system and TV sets are digital, the camera can be very small if you are willing to sacrifice some image quality for convenience and ease-of-use. That's how Toshiba has seen the development of digital camcorders; a tiny camera has to be able deliver large, high-resolution video images.

The Toshiba Camileo S20 is a slim and compact camcorder that lets you capture full-HD video. There are many digital cameras and camcorders that are advertized as HD cameras. Often, they don't come even close to the full-HD resolution, which is 1920x1080 pixels. The Camileo S20 can record live images in 1920x1080 resolution. It is possible to snap 5 megapixel still images with the camera as well.

3-inch LCD screen, HDMI connector, rechargeble battery and SDHC memory card slot occupy the space ava
Picture frame that does not require power cable to display photos and videos / 04:16 05-10-2009
Picture frames that can display digital photos and videos are kind of electronic products that even our grandma is happy to use. Typically, a digital photo frame is easy to use, because there is only one thing to do; to display photos. Only one or two buttons is required; one button to switch the device on and another one to advance the slideshow to the next picture. The most advanced frame models, like this one we recently reviewed, let the user download images from Internet photo albums as well. There is, however, a feature we haven't appreciated in many picture frames; they have to be connected to a power source. You have a nice frame on a bookshelf, but you can't take it to the sofa and pass it around among friends, because the power cable prohibits moving the frame. No more, because Philips has introduced a portable picture frame with a battery as its power source.

The Philips SPH8008 digital photo frame can be moved from room to room or passed from hand to hand. The pictu
Add-on hardware keyboard for the Apple iPhone does not make much sense / 06:23 01-10-2009
A couple of years ago, when the Apple iPod MP3 player was the hottest product on Earth, hundreds of accessories were made available for the device. You could get headphones, loudspeakers, cases, FM radios, docking stations, and other accessories. Now, the Apple iPhone is the hottest product on Earth, but add-on accessories can be primarily be found in the App Store. Applications are the new accessories for smartphones. Except for one product; hardware keyboards for the iPhone.

The thing is that an add-on hardware keyboard for the Apple iPhone is a stupid idea. If you feel you need a physical qwerty keyboard for your iPhone, you have purchased a wrong smartphone. A touch screen phone without a real keyboard has been designed to be used via its touch screen. No matter what kind of tricks accessory manufacturers invent in order to attach a keyboard to a touch screen phone, it can't be as good as a smartphone designed with a qwerty keyboard from the beginning.
Pocket-size ebook reader from Bookeen / 03:57 01-10-2009
So far, ebook reader devices built on the e-ink display technology have been about the same size independent of the brand. All right, the Amazon Kindle DX is larger than the other devices, but none of them has been small enough to fit into pocket. Now, a company called Bookeen has introduced an ebook reader device that has the same high-contrast, sharp, flicker-free display as other devices, but it fits into pocket.

The Bookeen Cybook Opus ebook reader is about the size of an PDA (if you still can remember those iPaq and PalmPilot devices), only slightly taller. The dimensions of the Opus are 6 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches or 155 x 108 x 10 mm. The unit weighs 5.3 ounces or 150 g. True, you must have a largish pocket. Remarkably, Bookeen has been able to retain the same resolution of the e-ink display as used on larger devices. The Cybook Opus display is 5 inches in size and 800x600 in resolution. When the unit is

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