High Tech Lounge » Handset

Symbian not included anymore in Sony Ericsson’s future plans

adina — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:25:59 +0000

In a recent interview, Sony Ericsson has put an end to any future plans for Symbian on the company’s handsets. Jan Uddenfeldt, the new CTO, explained for Sweden’s NyTechnik that his company had no plans to make Symbian smartphones after the existing Vivaz lineup. Most of the company’s efforts are now placed on Android, with only a small amount of attention given to the Windows Phone 7.

Symbian is currently a minority of Sony Ericsson’s mix; the departure would, however, be a considerable wound to Symbian. This has been recast as an open-source project; losing the phone maker would leave Nokia as virtually the only phone designer using the operating system. Moreover, the other major partner, Samsung, is already downplaying Symbian in favor of its own Bada and even Android. However, Nokia is partly moving away too, as the N9 and other Nseries handsets will run on the manufacturer’s own MeeGo.

The official Sony Ericsson position still underlines three separate platforms.

Further details of the plans of Facebook’s handset

adina — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:20:28 +0000

Together with various reports revealing Facebook’s plans related to the development of a mobile platform, details of a handset for the social network have been released. According to earlier rumors, the device would be built by INQ and would be shipped in Europe in the first half of next year, while a US launch would be set for AT&T. however, the AT&T deal does not seem to be final and therefore the phones are not supposed to be available in such a short time.

The most recent sources say that Facebook’s phone will come bundled with the popular digital music service Spotify, expected to launch in the United States by the end of this year. The phone will probably launch first on Hutchinson, the 3G network active in twelve countries, owned by Li Ka-Shing, a Chinese billionaire. Hutchinson’s owner is a common link between all the participating companies, as he is a large investor in Spotify, Facebook and INQ Mobile. The latter is headed by Frank Meehan, also a member of the board of directors at Spotify.

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg however denied the attempt of the social network to build its own phone. The aim of the service is to become a mobile platform, a social layer that is not intended to compete directly with the giants Apple or Google in the mobile market. Facebook will focus on a deep integration with the existing software like for instance Android.

The above mentioned companies have to decide an official time-frame for the launch of a phone.

Google Voice widgets now go live for all Android handsets

adina — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:17:34 +0000

On September 9, 2010, Google posted an update to its Voice app, which gives all Android users the widgets that first made their appearance with T-Mobile G2. The main inbox add-on illustrates a preview of all new voicemail and text messages and also lets users jump to a certain message in the full application. There is a settings widget which provides both quick ways to launch the main application, send a text message, change the Google Voice account itself or even check the amount of paid outbound calling minutes.

Both widgets are optional to use. Google Voice has recently been updated and is expected to be available in Android Market starting September 9; however, using it necessitates a free Google Voice account. The new service has already left beta, but is currently still limited to the US residents.

Windows Phone 7 handset of ASUS spotted in Pakistan

adina — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:26:09 +0000

The likely finished design of ASUS’ first Windows Phone 7 handset has been spotted in Pakistan. A rather different hardware than the prototype presented at the Mobile World Congress, but also consistent with the design traits of ASUS, the device has a metal effect or brushed metal front. The three-button layout conforms to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 guidelines limiting it to buttons for back, Windows and search.

There are no technical specifications available, but the phone is supposed to have a large screen (over 3.5 inches) with an 800×480 resolution meant to fit the operating system limits. What seems to be a front camera is rather a sensor for the ambient light, as Microsoft has not built-in support for video chat. Most Windows Phone 7 phones require at least an internal storage of 8GB.

ASUS, as well as many other early Microsoft partners, will have its devices shipped in October or November this year.

Leak confirms HTC’s first Windows Phone 7 handset

adina — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:31:16 +0000

A recently leaked image seems to confirm the first Windows Phone 7 of HTC. The Mondrian would be the fastest phone of HTC with a 1.3 GHz Snapdragon processor that would offer the possibility of a GSM version as well as a CDMA one. It would have the size of the HD2 or Evo 4G, a 4.3-inch display with an 800×480 resolution. The new phone would also sport at least a 5-megapixel camera with high definition video recording.

A possible image of the phone accompanies the firmware and thanks to the similarity to the Windows Phone 7 design is believed to be a mockup of the Mondrian prototype. HTC is consecrated as a key partner of Microsoft for Windows Phone 7. It may ship the Mondrian or maybe another phone by the end of this year. However, the company has not publicly commented any of the release plans it may have.

Nokia’s 6216 classic with NFC payments postponed

adina — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:28:00 +0000

Nokia’s 6216 classic handset, which would have been the company’s first mobile device with an integrated Near Field Communications (NFC) module to communicate with its own SIM card using the Single Wire Protocol, will not be released anymore. Nokia’s executives said that the decision has been made due to the fact that the consumer experience was not as expected. They have also declared that the company will continue integrating the NFC technology, but without giving operators full control over it. The NFC system is already part of two Nokia handsets.

The 6216 classic handset, apart from the SWP-based NFC technology, is a simple 3G device, which is based on 850MHz band networks. The phone also benefits from a 2-megapixel camera, as well as from a microSDHC memory card slot.

NFC technology offers users the possibility to make payments just by waving their device near a special, compatible reader fro transactions (for example, public transport payments). Operators would want the account details stored on the SIM card, pushing for the user’s balance. Handset manufacturers (Nokia as well) wish that account details would be stored directly on the phone.

A SWP-equipped NFC service will most likely be introduced in about six months by China Unicom. This will be directly competing with China Mobile’s RF SIM system, which is already available.

RIM could show a new handset at MWC

adina — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:16:55 +0000

On February 11, 2010, Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry manufacturer, has posted a Twitter update saying that the company is expected to make “a big announcement” somewhere next week, during the Mobile World Congress show, which will take place in Barcelona. The only detail shown is that users should watch closely the company’s blog during the week of February 15th for this announcement. Brightpoint, the third-party global distributor, is the one who published the claim and has gained credibility thanks to its position (it is one of RIM’s close partners).

There is little known for sure about the Canadian company’s announcement, but it is possible that it is all about a new handset, as many companies show their new phones during the Barcelona show. This is only a presumption, as there have been no leaks concerning an imminent release. The announcement could be referring to BlackBerry OS or some key third-party applications used for handsets.

Wi-Fi enabled Palm Pixi?

adina — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:48:14 +0000

Palm will launch, as soon as possible, a new version of the Pixi handset, supporting Verizon’s network and having integrated Wi-Fi capabilities, according to a recent FCC filing. The actual Pixi operates on CDMA as well, but it doesn’t benefit from Wi-Fi, which would keep costs down.

The upcoming version of the Pixi handset, called P121EWW, is very similar to Verizon’s leaked version of the device, P121. Analysts believe that Verizon will opt for Palm for its smartphone range, because Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris haven’t provided the expected sales.

Even if the exact release date and price for the new Wi-Fi Palm Pixi are unknown, it is assumed that the handset will come out in the beginning of the next year.

Upgraded handset form Nokia – the 5235 Comes With Music

adina — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:13:47 +0000

Nokia has introduced a new handset which is an upgrade of the existing 5230 phone, the 5235 Comes With Music. The new version allows unlimited downloads for a period of one and a half years, all of them being allowed to be kept after the end of the subscription. The 5235 sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen and provides a 16GB microSDHC memory card that can store enough music, as the battery life allows about 33 hors of play back. Music can be downloaded directly from the handset by means of a shortcut key, or synchronized from a computer. A favourite set of headphones can be plugged into the phone through a 3.5mm headset jack, as for the 5230 phone. The handset also has a two-megapixel camera.

The Nokia 5235 Comes With Music will be able to access the company’s services, such as the Ovi Contacts, Ovi Store, Ovi Share and, of course, Ovi Maps with drive and pedestrian navigation modes. The 5235 handset will be priced in Europe at the equivalent of $214 and will be available in the first quarter next year, an eventual ship to North America not being revealed by now.

Another Android-based device for Japan – Sharp-made

adina — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:03:18 +0000

The local market in Japan will receive soon Sharp’s Android-based handset. The information released by Market Watch and originating from Nikkei is quoting Masami Ohbatake, executive of Sharp, who, however, did not specify to which carrier the device will go first. Suppositions are that NTT DoCoMo is the first company on the list to receive the new handset.

Japan sees an emerging market represented by such Android-based devices. NTT DoCoMo is currently offering the Taiwanese HTC manufacturer’s handset HT-03A.

Sharp and NTT DoCoMo will probably release soon detailed specifications and price information for the new Android-powered device.