BlackBerry Pearl Flip to include Wi-Fi
Research in Motion Ltd., the maker of BlackBerry phones, is set to reveal today a phone that folds in half, a departure from the slab-like design that has defined its products.
The long-rumored phone will be called the BlackBerry Pearl Flip and will be available from T-Mobile USA and with overseas carriers later this year, at an undisclosed price.
The “flip” or “clamshell” design, where the display and keyboard are separated by a hinge, is a popular one for conventional cell phones, particularly in the United States. Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of RIM, said 70 percent of handsets in the country have this shape.
“Bringing this form factor to the smart-phone category is, we think, very special,” Balsillie said. “Smart” phones expand the features of a regular phone with applications such as Web browsing and e-mail access, which is RIM’s forte.
Nokia N96 Launches in America
Nokia has announced that its N96 smartphone will be available in America in Q4 2008. The American version of the phone will operate on 3G HSDPA networks and feature a 2.8-inch screen, 16GB of internal memory and compatibility with multiple video formats. Read more
GPS System Cracks Man’s Alibi
It is always good to hear of technology helping out and if it can help in proving that a man is a killer it is of course a good thing. This was the case with a global positioning system (GPS) that was installed by a suspicious wife. The device helped in cracking George Ford Junior’s alibi and story. He was initially charged with reckless endangerment in the death of Shyanne Sommers, his baby sitter. The man claimed that he was taking the girl home and stopped for a moment to show her his horses. After that he said he backed over her accidentally.
Investigators analyzed the GPS. It showed that Ford spent around three hours with the girl behind an abandoned home. This made another scenario much easier to believe. Police claims the girl tried to escape and the man ran her down. What is ironical about the situation is that the wife installed the GPS system because he thought her husband was cheating on her.
Mio P360 and P560 to come
Two new GPS PDAs are going to be released by Mio, the P360 and P560. Currently, we don’t have many details on them, but we know they will feature WiFi, an embeded GPS antenna, Bluetooth 2.0, a miniUSB port, a microphone and their memory can be expanded via the SD/MMC memory card slot.
Both the P360 and P560 will sport an LCD touchscreen, that controls almost everything, the rest of the device featuring only a few buttons.
via NaviGadget
Averatec Voya 350 Reviews
AVERATEC Voya 350 GPS Navigation with 3.5-inch Touchscreen is easy and fun with the AVERATEC Voya 350 in your car, guiding you turn by turn, with a friendly voice and visual signals, even when you don’t know the address.Some specifications about : Processor:300MHz Samsung S3C2440A RISC microprocessor ,Operating System:Microsoft Windows CEV4.2;Memory:64MB SDRAM, 64MB Flash ROM; GPS Chipset 12ch SiRF III high sensitivity chipset; GPS Antenna :High-performance helical; Display:Wide View 3.5″ TFT LCD 320×240 resolution with touch screen, 16.7 million colors; Expansion Slot One SD/MMC; Audio Output Built-in 18pi speaker, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack ;Input Method Stylus pen (included), touch screen, software keyboard ;user Controls Five-way navigation jog button, four function buttons (home, GPS, map zoom +/-) ;Dimensions: 4.53″ W x 2.87″ H x .79″ D ;Weight:6.0 ounces ; Battery:rechargeable, removable Li-ion battery, 1100 mA ;Power:5V, 1.5A AC home charger and car charger.
Asus R2H UMPC Reviews
Asus R2H UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) with fingerprint biometrics sensor and GPS, Built-in 1.3MP webcam and microphone, On-Screen Virtual keyboard, Intel 353 ULV Celeron M Processor 900Mhz (400Mhz FSB, L2 Cache : 512K), 768MB DDR2-533 SO-Dimm Memory (256MB OnBoard), Intel 910GML chipset Graphics Media Accelerator 900, with D-SUB and AV out, 7″ WXGA (800 x 400 resolution) LCD Display, 1.8″ 60GB Hard Drive, Built in SD/MMC card reader + WIFI (via USB wifi adaptor included), Bluetooth, 10/100 Ethernet LAN, NO Firewire, Handwritten input with ASUS InfoPen/stylus, Microsoft Windows Tablet edition, with Bundled 2nd battery and cary bag + Foldable keyboard, 2 years global warranty (1 year on battery), Optical Drive is Optional!
The Asus R2H is optimized for professional and personal efficeincy. It offers a high-resolution webcam, an integrated Global Positioning System, a built-in fingerprinter, an SD Card reader, and a digital camera.
Garmin Zumo 550
With a sleek design, good performance and a lot of new features, the Garmin Zumo 550 could be the best thing for motorcyclists as well as car drivers.
When you buy it, they also give you some other things like a motorcycle mount, a car mount with an adhesive plastic disc for attaching to your dashboard, black plastic faceplates (if you don’t like the gray ones), an AC charger, a motorcycle power cable that connects to the bike’s battery, a car charger, tools needed to mount the Zumo to motorcycle handlebars, a tiny screwdriver for the “safety screw” on the unit, a USB cable to sync and download software and updates, a City Navigator DVD, a CD-ROM of the owners manual, a quick setup guide for mounting, and some stickers, which will probably make your life easier and help you do what you need to do with it. They don’t give you a Bluetooth earpiece but that probably isn’t such a big problem as there are a lot of them available. It measures 4.8 inches wide, 3.9 inches high, and 1.6 inches deep and weighs 10.6 ounces and it can resist under water for about 30 minutes. The shell is sturdy but it may not resist a serious fall.
 
It is mostly a motorcycle-specific navigation system but that doesn’t leave out car drivers, because the menu is easy to use and you don’t have to take your eyes off the road; the speaker volume is also very good and the 3.5-inch display has a 320×240 pixel resolution and a white backlight. The image quality is very small, but it is a bit small. The Zumo preloades every map you need from North America, and the operation is very simple. It has two main options, Where to? and View map, but it also has other options (a phone icon which is very useful if you have a Bluetooth phone, a musical note icon for the MP3 player, and a tool icon for the Settings menu). If you touch the icons you will choose from some submenus. You can also view useful stuff like phone numbers for points of interest (POI), call history, and phone book. The navigation is very easy thanks to the latest portable navigation systems which have 6 million POIs preinstalled, but you can of course add more if you want to. You can view maps in 2D or in 3D with day or night colors. They change themselves automatically, at sundown. Also, speed, maximum speed, fuel and other info can be displayed.
It has integrated Bluetooth which means you can use it as a hands-free speaker system for phone calls and it also has a built-in MP3 player with an SD card which means you can load songs and listen to them while you are driving. It takes about 10 to 20 seconds to lock onto a satellite, it depends on where you are. It’s very accurate but if you move fast it may be a little unclear. Also, text- and voice-guided directions are very good, but sometimes it gives wrong street names, but nothing too bad. Price is $829.99.
Vulcan FlipStart
Does the name “Vulcan FlipStart” jog any brain cells? It was announced as vaporware around the same time the OQO model 01 made its debut—almost four years ago. Vulcan Portals is a company built under Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s watchful eye. At that time, micro-PC processing parts and technology, as a whole, weren’t up to speed, delaying the FlipStart’s launch.
The Vulcan FlipStart is a 1.8-pound handheld PC that runs Windows XP Pro and integrates a QWERTY keyboard, and is likely to make Sony and OQO sweat just a little. Pocketable at 1.8 pounds. Integrated QWERTY keyboard. Neat features include a secondary display, a webcam, and both a touchpad and a pointing stick. Typing will require plenty of patience.
Type is ultraportable,business or small business with operating system MS windows XP Professional.Processor is Intel Pentium M 733,and speed 1.1 GHz.Ram memory is 512 MB.About display and design we can say that screen size is 5.6 inches,screen size type is widescreen and graphics card:Intel Media Accelerator 900 GM.
The storage capacity is 30 GB and primary optical drive is external.
I-mate JAQ3 Reviews
The i-mate JAQ3 makes email on the move hassel free. Designed as a functional communicator and for document management away from the office, the JAQ3 has a lot to offer mobile workers. The easy to use QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enable users to stay informed and in touch.
The 2 megapixel camera works fine for outdoor pictures in strong backlit sun light and will be OK for interior shots if there is sufficient light. As you play with the camera and its settings, you can achieve some very acceptable pictures … If needed, there is a 4X zoom which works surprising well but there are a few finger strokes to achieve a zoom level.
Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 5.0 Smartphone with Direct Push technology gives you instant access to your emails, calendar and contacts anytime.
The display has 65K color transflective TFT color LCD with the size of the diagonally 2.4. and a 320 x 240 resolution, primary landscape orientation, supports both portrait and landscape modes.
It has a good performance Texas Instruments OMAP 850 CPU with 200 MHz. 64 MB built-in RAM and 128 megs MB Flash ROM with 46.66 megs free for your use.
The audio function is built in speaker, mic and 2.5mm standard stereo headphone jack. Includes stereo headset and Windows Media Player 10 (MP3 and video playback).
I-mate JAQ3 has a lithium ion rechargeable battery who is user replaceable. 1250 mA.
The i-mate products are designed to maintain the technological and design advances over the current generation of products.
Trabbit TM-7000
A new PMP has been announced by Trabbit, the TM-7000 has a 7″ touch screen display with a 480×234 pixels resolution, WinCE 5.0 and GPS. Trabbit has put a lot of features in this PMP, the SiRF Star III GPS, it supports DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, AVI and WMV video codecs and MUSICAM, BSAC, MP3, AAC, ASF, OGG and WAV audio.
The Trabbit TM-7000 even supports watching TV while using GPS, using the picture-in-picture support. It comes with a 64MB RAM and 64MB ROM which can be extended by a SD card. Availability and pricing haven’t been disclosed yet.
BlackBerry 8800 Reviews
The BlackBerry 8800 has a Quad-Band: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS, EDGE + Wi-Fi that offers best-in-class performance with smoothly integrated support for voice and data applications, including phone, email, text messaging, web browser, organizer, multimedia and more.
The 8800 is also the first GSM Blackberry with GPS. Additionally, it includes a QVGA display, Micro SD slot and stereo headset jack.
Design : Ultra Thin, 8800 is the slimmest yet, trackball navigation, enhanced software for out-of-the-box compatibility, built in GPS to instantly send maps via email, landscape display at 320×240, 65,000-color display, built-in light sensing for display, media player for music and videos and powerful wireless platform.
Media: The Blackberry 8800 comes with a media player and an external storage slot for removable microSD memory cards. The media player supports MP3 and unprotected AAC music files; it can also display MPEG-4 and H.263 video content.
Sound and image: The phone supports polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ringtones.
Internet service: Wireless Internet give users the ability to manage up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, as well as BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which includes IT policy controls for managing the handset’s features and usage.
8800 include noise cancellation, voice activated dialing, conference calling, speakerphone and Bluetooth 2.0 support.
Multimedia messaging is supported with add-on plans to the basic wireless service. Built-in memory is 64 MB, but you can add more by plugging in MicroSD memory cards.
The Blackberry 8800 is an impressive device that will serve businesses and professionals on the go well as their next-generation Blackberry.
Palm LifeDrive
This device has been released over a year ago, but still it can handle most of today’s requirements, just like the newer ones. It’s pretty big, it measures 4.7 by 2.8 by 0.8 inches and pretty heavy, weighs 6.8 ounces.
It has a 3.7-inch-diagonal screen with a 320×480-pixel resolution that displays 65,000 hues. The screen is colorful and the colours are well defined, but the sunlight affects the image quality. Below the screen there are some shortcuts (Home, Files, Media, and one unassigned application) that can be customized, according to what you need. They surround a five-way navigation toggle that is also a select button. Left side is home for a voice recorder button and also one that lets you change modes (Portrait and Landscape), while on the right and the top you can find the SDIO/MMC expansion slot, the power/hold switch, and the infrared port.
It has a 416MHz Intel XScale processor. It takes a while to switch between applications and the videos don’t have such a good quality. There is no problem with the photographs, and when playing MP3 the sound is very smooth. It also has an integrated 4GB Hitachi hard drive (3.85GB is user accessible). Wi-Fi is also integrated.
The PalmOne LifeDrive runs Palm OS 5.4 and features Documents To Go 7.0 for viewing, creating, and editing Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files and for opening Adobe Acrobat files. The battery is not user-replaceable, but the device doubles as USB drive. Price is $229.95.
Dell Axim X51v
The Dell Axim X30 series did very well, and they were continued with the Dell Axim X50 series, which also had remarcable performances. The Dell Axim X51 takes it to the next level, and, although design is similar with it’s previous versions, it incorporates many upgrades.
It’s the first to run Windows Mobile 5 operating system. The 3.7-inch screen has a resolution of 640×480 and a 16-bit-color output. Down on the screen you can see standard shortcuts (Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, and Home). There also two buttons on the left side which activate the voice recorder and wireless connection. There is also a hold button which is very useful, because the device suffers from subpar battery life; the battery is user replaceable though. On the top there is a microphone jack that supports Walkman-style headphones, dual CompactFlash and SD expansion slots. The X51v looks just like the Dell Axim X50; measures 4.7 by 2.9 by 0.7 inches and weighs 6.2 ounces. There are also some optional accesories you can get ( extra slot for charging a second battery, high-capacity cell which costs $99 and promises to double battery life, GPS navigation system, Bluetooth keyboard for $99.95 and a presentation bundle for $49).
The processor ( 624MHz Intel XScale PXA270), the graphics engine (Intel 2700G) and the video memory and 64MB of SDRAM haven’t changed, but the flash ROM is now 256MB (from 128MB), 192 is user accesible. Besides Windows Mobile 5, Office Mobile Suite that includes Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile has replaced Pocket Word and Pocket Excel. With power point you can only view slides, you can’t edit them. It also features Windows Media Player 10 Mobile.
It comes with built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and dual expansion slots. Performance isn’t superb, but it’s good. The only big problem is the subpar battery life. Price is $374.00.
Motorola Q
There is a lot of hype around Motorola Q, probably thanks to its appearance. This device promised a lot, but hasn’t quite delivered. It was announced as the “thinnest QWERTY device in the world”.
The screen measures 2.5 inches diagonally and displays 65,536 hues at a 320×240-pixel resolution, but lacks touchscreen and so you must use a set of controls below the display to
navigate your way and launch applications. Buttons include SEND, END, HOME and BACK. Modeled after the Motorola Razr V3 it has a stylish layout for it’s buttons. The buttons must be pressed firmly but the bubble keys are very tactile and there is enough space between them.
The Motorola Q is really slim: 4.57 by 2.52 by 0.47. It fits into just about any pocket, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not solid. A small downside is that it takes some getting used to it’s width. The camera lens, flash and stereo back are on the back. The battery is removable. On the left you can find an infrared port, a mini USB port, and a Mini SD card slot. Colours and resolution are good, but what makes it spectacular is the extra size of the screen; images are sharp and well designed.
Besides the design, nothing else is revolutionary. Satisfying, but nothing that a Windows Mobile can’t offer; the Moto Q runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition. The device has 128MB of flash memory and 64MB of RAM, and about 58 MB of memory are user-accesible. You also get Outlook Mobile which helps you manage your messages, contacts and tasks. Wireless connections are Bluetooth 1.2, EV-DO and infrared but no Wi-Fi. It also features support for cellular technology and you can enjoy speeds from 400 Kbps to 800 Kbps which means faster download. The Motorola Q’s camera allows video recording and can make photos in five resolutions (160×120, 176×144, 320×240, 640×480, and 1,280×1,024) and the 6X digital zoom is available for everyone of these resolutions. Light and rotation options are also available; flash, a self-timer, a burst mode, and brightness and white-balance adjustments are also included. Viewing other’s people images is possible thanks to Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, supported formats being AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4 and others.
So, the EV-DO support makes browsing easy, the desing is ultraslim and very classy, sharp display, QWERTY keyboard, but not integrated Wi-Fi and analog roaming. The results are very good, but the feeling is that it hasn’t quite lived up to it’s potential.
Asus A686 and A696 announced
Asus has just announced two slim PDAs, with GPS and good performances. Asus has fortunately removed the antenna and replaced it with a stainless steel frame, making the PDAs look better. Both the Asus A686 and Asus A696 come with 802.11b/g wireless, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, Windows Mobile 5.0, SiRF Star III Receiver, a 3.5″Â touchscreen with a resolution of 320×240, 64MB of SDRAM, integrated speaker and mic, rechargeable battery and audio recording capability. Both are 1.57 centimeters thick. The difference between them is the processor and the flash ROM, A686 being powered by a 312Mhz Intel XScale CPU with 128MB of flash ROM and A696 has a Intel XScale 416Mhz and 256MB of flash ROM.The release date and price haven’t been disclosed, but they’re supposed to get on the market soon.
