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IBM posts

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXIV: IBM Touch T600 should totally run OS/2

by Chris Ziegler posted May 25th 2009 @ 2:21AM

Every once in a while, the knockoff manufacturers get creative -- really creative -- by dreaming up wild, crazy "what if" scenarios, and "what if IBM got into the cellphone biz?" is the thought-provoking question we're dealing this time around. The company's industrial design -- much of which went to Lenovo in the sale of its PC business -- is legendary, and some undoubtedly Shenzhen-based concern has done a surprisingly decent job of translating that ID to a handset. The T600 runs Windows Mobile with some customizations we haven't seen before and apparently features GPS, EDGE, and a pair of SIM slots -- a surefire sign that the phone is designed and destined for the Chinese market. We're not sure why they bothered with the slightly-modified Vodafone logo, though -- whoever heard of someone wanting carrier branding on an unlocked device?

[Via Cloned In China]

Nokia adds support for Lotus Notes in Symbian S60

by Darren Murph posted Nov 20th 2008 @ 7:38PM

There's hardly anything more embarrassing that admitting that your company still uses Lotus Notes, but for the millions upon millions (140 million, in fact) of licensed users who'd love the opportunity to check in via their S60-based handset, this one's for you. Starting next month, Lotus Notes support will be granted for Symbian S60 3rd Edition, meaning that anyone with a fresh S60 device can soon tap into Lotus Notes Traveler and access real-time email, calendar, address book, journal and to-do list data. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't be so enthusiastic -- leaving work at work is a blessing too many take for granted.

IBM project lets users make their own mobile versions of websites

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 16th 2008 @ 9:25PM

Tired of waiting for your favorite bowling enthusiast website to finally release its long-awaited mobile optimized version? Yeah, we hear that -- but if a new IBM research project ever sees the light of day, maybe we can just fix that glitch ourselves. "Highlight" is a Firefox-based plug-in that allows end users to script common tasks on sites and boil them down to super simple mini-sites that are more easily digested on mobile browsers, at which point the new sites are copied up to a proxy server that would theoretically be hosted by IBM or another company. There could be some resistance from sites that aren't so keen on having their content re-hosted somewhere outside of their control, but it sounds like IBM is ready to push forward with the project if it generates enough interest. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via textually.org and PC World]

iPhone goes corporate: AT&T announces business plan

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 21st 2008 @ 3:07AM

Without a 3G iPhone announcement at MacWorld, Apple remains focused on increasing the penetration of their generation-one handset. True to the rumors circulating the intertubes last week, AT&T is now offering the iPhone to business customers. Plans break down as follows:

2 year commitment, voice service, and data plan required
$45 per month for unlimited data, visual voicemail, and 200 SMSes; $55 ups the SMS limit to 1,500; $65 for unlimited everything
An extra $25 per month nabs a 20MB montly data plan good for 29 countries, $60 per month ups the limit to 50MB
Activate by 31 March and qualified accounts will receive a service credit of $25 per month good through 31 December, 2008 -- yeah, that's a sweet deal

We have a funny feeling that the timing of this has something to do with IBM's imminent announcement of Lotus Notes mail for the iPhone. Now get on the horn to IT, they'll be dreading your call.

[Thanks, Brandon B.]

iPhone putting on a Lotus Notes suit?

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 17th 2008 @ 7:33AM

If you're looking to gain respect for your gear as a serious business-class tool, there's no better way than to infiltrate those Big Four accounting firms still using Lotus Notes. According to a piece carried by the Associated Press, Lotus Notes eMail is coming to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. We kid you not. The announcement is expected as early as Sunday the 20th, the day IBM's annual Lotusphere conference kicks off in Orlando. The software is free for those with existing licenses which means IT is going to have a hell of a time keeping it out of users' hands. If true, the application would presumably be the first official, third-party application developed with Apple's new iPhone SDK. IBM is also expected to announce their free Lotus Symphony flavor of OpenOffice for the Mac at the same time. An IBM spokesman seemingly confirmed the announcements by saying that Apple and IBM have, "a lot in common. We're going to cross-pollinate." Let's just hope they manage to untangle that jumbled Notes UI for finger-friendly navigation during the mating ritual, eh?

[Via MacRumors]

Cellphones enable PA system for the deaf

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 10th 2006 @ 9:50AM

Typically, when we think of cellphones improving one's quality of life, we're speaking in terms of broadband data, big honkin' autofocus cams, and gobs of flash memory. Researchers in IBM's British facilities are looking at it a little differently, though, looking into how mobile devices might be used to help alert the deaf to PA announcements near their location -- something hearing folk take for granted in airport terminals, train stations, and sports venues, just to name a small few. Their LAMA system (Location Aware Messaging for Accessability) was originally designed with the hard of hearing in mind, but they're pointing out that it could come in handy for pretty much anyone: voice-based services to read signage to the blind, directions to various nearby places for the navigationally challenged, and so on. Better yet, the system may not be that far off, with European trials in train stations possibly coming before the year's out. No word on whether new handsets are required to take advantage of the system, but then again, we're always looking for an excuse to upgrade.

[Via textually.org]

Toshiba wants mobile version of Cell processor

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 8th 2006 @ 11:39PM

If we can look for a moment beyond the Playstation 3's wallet-busting, shortage-creating, timeline-stretching ways, Toshiba would like us to envision a world where a wide variety of devices are powered by variants of the superconsole's Cell processor. Sony's obviously been eating up an overwhelming majority of the chip's publicity leading up to the PS3's launch, but Toshiba played (and continues to play) a major role in the Cell's development, and they're touting that a beefer 65-nanometer version of the chip will launch in 2007, a scaled back midrange version in 2008, and a mobile variant by 2010. No word on what sort of functionality is planned for the 2008 and 2010 models -- or just how scaled back they'll be -- but for Toshiba's sake, we wish them a smoother launch then the Cell-powered devices (ahem) we've seen thus far.

[Via Mobile Magazine]

IBM brings Bluetooth to tennis fans, McAfee brings 'em down

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 5th 2006 @ 7:59PM

Anticipating the flurry of excitement surrounding Wimbledon, IBM decided to go all out for the event and outfit trees around London with Bluetooth technology so fans can keep track of scores via their cellphone when they aren't near a TV or at the match itself. Not a bad idea, if you ask most people -- except for McAfee, that is. They're warning that by leaving your phone's Bluetooth function turned on all the time you might as well be begging for a virus -- not an entirely unreasonable warning, given that it's happened before. While McAfee's not telling people to avoid using the service all together, they do recommend that you set your phone to hiddend and only turn on the Bluetooth when you intend to use it, as well as practice a bit of common sense, like not installing applications or opening files that you weren't expecting to receive, and to back up your phone's data regularly. It's not clear what, if anything, the Bluetooth system will be used for after the tournament's over.

[Via textually.org]

Samsung SGH-i858 launches with a little help from IBM

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 23rd 2006 @ 5:55PM

When we saw the mysterious SGH-i858 first appear courtesy of our pals at the FCC, we had nary a clue what platform the phone might be sitting atop. Since then, the GSM / EDGE slider has launched on China Mobile, and IBM Korea is ready to talk about their role in the project. It turns out the i858 rocks Linux -- not at all unusual for smartphones marketed in China -- but IBM tossed an embedded Java subsystem into the mix, which we can only hope will make for some wicked fast Spore play. They also hinted that the i858 is just the beginning of a broader collaboration between Samsung and IBM, suggesting more handsets packing IBM heat are in the pipeline.