Wacky Gadgets for Those Who Like to Play By Themselves.

Posted November 13th, 2008 by Luke McKinney in Mobile Technology

We’ve all seen people walk into each other/poles/traffic because they thought their phone was more interesting than politeness/spatial awareness/survival, but some devices are even more intent on cutting you off from the world. Here we see gadgets that make the average person phoning in the cinema look like a Buddhist monk at one with the universe.

1. One person karaoke

In what can only be a first strike in a War Against Humanity, Tomy have unveiled the “One person Karaoke system“. So either they don’t understand that karaoke is a group activity, or we don’t understand how much they hate us.

A small, portable device which enables people to inflict karaoke at any location with no warning: … continue reading "Wacky Gadgets for Those Who Like to Play By Themselves."

Nokia’s E63 Business Phone Finally Official.

Posted November 12th, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Handsets

Spotted in a Nokia promotional video and then through a series of spy shots at the tail end of October, the E63 has finally been officially unveiled this week. A relation of the fantastic E71 email-focused business phone, the E63 is slightly pared down in comparison, but don’t dismiss this as … continue reading "Nokia’s E63 Business Phone Finally Official."

Crazy Cranium Creations

Posted November 11th, 2008 by Luke McKinney in Mobile Phone News

Your phone isn’t the only cool thing you can press against your head. It might sound odd for a phone site to tell you that, but all manner of wonderful things have been built to press against your face and some are so awesome or terrible that we just have to tell you. Here we look at some gaming gadgets that really put your head into a different world.

1. The Atari Mindlink System

As far back as 1983 Atari were trying to project gaming brains into the screen. If you just said “Wait a minute, there wasn’t any mind reading technology in the 80s” the congratulations - you know more than Atari did. There was nothing even like mind-reading technology back then. In fact, even getting a computer to notice you via buttons was considered … continue reading "Crazy Cranium Creations"

Sony Ericsson W705 Walkman Phone Announced

Posted November 7th, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Handsets

Sony Ericsson have been busy bolstering their Walkman range of music phones recently with the gorgeous W902 candybar and the fun W595 slider, and here is the latest to be announced, the W705.  Fitting into the upper end of the range, it may not share the W902’s stunning good looks, but it does introduce a new feature to the Walkman ‘feature phone’ range - Wi-Fi.  Let’s take a look through the rest of the spec:

Key Features of the Sony Ericsson W705

•  The W705 is a 3G slider with HSDPA support.
• The introduction of Wi-Fi is a first for a Walkman phone, adding considerable versitility.
• A 3.2 megapixel camera with a flash, plus a secondary video call lens, are also featured.
• The latest Walkman v3.0 software, an FM RDS radio and the YouTube video service take care of the media duties.

When the W705 was a rumour, there was speculation it would include GPS, however this doesn’t appear to have made it on to the production model, it has been stated that the camera will be able to geo-tag pictures via cell broadcasts though.  Perhaps a more bizarre ommission from the W705’s feature list is a 3.5mm socket for your own headphones, however Sony Ericsson usually include an adapter to work around this.

Including Wi-Fi in the W705’s list of connectivity options is a big step as downloading music from Sony Ericsson’s store, or whichever you prefer, will be so much faster, more convenient and less costly.  It also allows you to stretch the NetFront Access browser a little more than usual and take advantage of YouTube and the Sony Ericsson picture blogging service too.

The W705 may not be much to look at, although seeing the metal casing for real will probably change this, but it does weigh just 98 grams and have a thickness of 14mm, so it will be very pocket friendly.  The quoted standby of 400 hours and a talktime of 10 hours is equally impressive.

With the official announcment out of the way, we’re expecting the W705 to land at the beginning of the new year and are looking forward to giving it a full work out!

Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week - 7th November

Posted November 7th, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Round-up

The first week of November has been a busy one, with no signs of a slow down prior to Christmas.  Enjoy stories of LG and Microsoft, a celeb with their first mobile phone and Tiffany’s rather pricey one, plus the new C905 and W705 from Sony Ericsson and the super cool HTC Touch HD.

1.  LG to Produce a WinMo Smartphone?

LG are associated with high-tech mobile phones and some of the highest megapixel camera phones on the market, yet they haven’t joined the smartphone community as yet.  Their announcement of a collaboration with Microsoft could be set to change this, as the statement specifically states ‘mobile technology’.  Although why Windows Mobile is more attractive than Android, we’ll never know.

2. C905 Shoots its Own Ad.

Although this particular advert will draw attention for a very different reason, Sony Ericsson have decided to let their marketing team loose with their latest mega-camera, the C905, who then used it to shoot its own advert!   Obviously a lot of post-production work went into the picture, but there’s no denying it’s a striking image!  Oh, and careful with the link if you’re at work. … continue reading "Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week - 7th November"

HTC Touch HD - Special Release Report.

Posted November 4th, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Handsets

This year has seen the previously little known Taiwanese smart phone manufacturer HTC explode on to the international market with a series of fantastic consumer friendly mobile phones such as the Touch, Touch Cruise, Touch Diamond, the Dream G1 and now this, the daddy of them all; the Touch HD.

HTC Touch HD Key Features

 The Touch HD took the industry by surprise back at the beginning of September when some leaked pictures and very few details showed up on various Internet tech sites, but one thing was for sure, the screen was looking very special indeed.  When HTC confirmed the release of the Touch HD just over a week afterwards, we had our hopes confirmed too; it would feature a WVGA 480×800 screen!

OK, so it may not be true high definition resolution, but in mobile phone terms, this was a huge step forward, especially as the all-important 800 pixel width is perfect for viewing many websites in landscape mode.  The massive 3.8″ screen size is important too, as it beats not only the majority of its competitors but retains the same overall footprint too, including that of the Apple iPhone 3G.

The super-clear screen displays the latest TouchFLO 3D software from HTC, which overlays their currently preferred Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system.  The TouchFLO 3D system works by scrolling a bar with your finger to access major functions from the Home screen in an attempt to hide Windows Mobile as much as possible.  HTC have even bundled the Opera Mini browser in order to avoid the need to use Internet Explorer.

Unlike previous Touch handsets, the Touch HD contains all the major functions of a top range modern smart phone.  It’s a 3G mobile with HSDPA support and Wi-Fi connectivity, there’s built-in GPS with Google Maps, a 5 megapixel camera with selectable autofocus, FM RDS radio, MP3, YouTube and video player plus a 3.5mm jack plug for your own headphones.

Release Date for the HTC Touch HD.

The HTC Touch HD is expected to be on sale from the 7th November 2008.

Also Consider.

The touchscreen smart phone market is getting very crowded and despite the Touch HD’s amazing screen, it’s still going to have some tough competition.  If you aren’t an iPhone 3G fan, then the Samsung Omnia is one of the most complete packages available and a superb choice, while the LG Renoir KC910 boasts an 8 megapixel camera but no 3.5mm jack plug.  Nokia haven’t embraced the touchscreen as yet, but you would be wise to check out both the N85 and N96 before the purchase of any smart phone today.  It’s not going to be an easy decision, but it’ll certainly be a fun one!

Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week - 31st October

Posted October 31st, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Round-up

Trick or treat? If you picked a treat then you’ll be rewarded with stories of the Android G1, news on Motorola, a super high-res Sharp phone and the continuing quest for silence aboard the UK’s trains, however if you picked a trick, then you may get landed with a bill for the latest Plantronic headset…

1. It’s an ULTIMATE week!

With the release of three of the most exciting mobile phones of 2008, we have three corresponding Ultimate reviews giving you all the details and background on the Samsung Pixon 8 megapixel cameraphone, the fantastic Nokia N85 multimedia computer and Sony Ericsson’s new Walkman phone, the W902. It’s going to be hard to choose between each of these new handsets!

2. Toilet Claims Mobile Phone and Owner’s Arm.

The toilet is to the mobile phone what … continue reading "Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week - 31st October"

Mobile phone users sending 217 million texts per day

Posted October 30th, 2008 by Patrick in Mobile Phone News

A recent study has revealed that mobile phone users in the UK are sending a staggering 217 million text messages per day, adding up to 72.9 billion messages a year.

Despite multimedia messages not even being available on the iPhone the number of MMS messages is rising quickly with 1.5 million being sent every day.

Internet use is on the increase as well with … continue reading "Mobile phone users sending 217 million texts per day"

Samsung Pixon M8800 Ultimate Review

Posted October 28th, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Handsets

Who is Nick Turpin and what are his adventures? Well, if you have been following the release of the latest mega-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung Pixon, you will probably know! Nick Turpin is a street photographer and he has been let loose with the Pixon to photograph his life in detail for a month. Is there a much higher recommendation than a professional photographer agreeing to use a cameraphone to showcase his work?

The Pixon was initially thought to be known as the Bresson, an equally ridiculous name but perhaps less ‘photo’ than Pixon, when it was spotted in picture form on the Internet and joined the ranks of the other 8 megapixel camera phones expected before the end of the year. Currently a war between Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG – Nokia have remained neutral so far – the Pixon will be up against the Sony Ericsson C905, the Samsung INNOV8, the LG KC780 and the Renoir KC910.

But to standout these days, a massive megapixel shooter is only the start, your new phone has to have a few other top-end features and one or two super-special ones to attract the buying public’s interest. So, has Samsung achieved this with the Pixon? Find out in our comprehensive review. … continue reading "Samsung Pixon M8800 Ultimate Review"

The Ultimate Sony Ericsson W902 Review

Posted October 28th, 2008 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile Phone Handsets

The Sony Ericsson W902 is often compared to its Walkman relative, the W595. Announced at the same time and aside from differing designs, similar in terms if features, it’s logical to pit them against each other for comparison. However, there is a clear difference between the W595 and W902, they occupy different market spaces. This means the W902 needs to find a comparable mobile phone to enter the ring with, and to find this phone, we need look no further than Sony Ericsson’s C902.

The C in the C902’s model number, as any mobile phone fan will know, denotes the handset is a CyberShot specialist camera phone, but otherwise these two could have sat next to each other inside a pod. As both are upper range handsets, your choice becomes simple – do you want the best music phone, or the best camera phone Sony Ericsson currently produce? Even then, the choice is not as clear cut as one may expect. … continue reading "The Ultimate Sony Ericsson W902 Review"