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MobilePhones posts

Blinged out Michael Jackson phone is fashionably late

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 @ 12:25PM

Michael Jackson may never take the stage again, but that doesn't mean you can't commemorate him in your pocket, right? This special, "limited edition" mobile phone appears to have been dipped in gold and diamonds, and, if we're not mistaken... it's basically a Vertu KIRF that's dressed like a headless MJ? We're pretty light on specs and pricing information here, but rest assured that unless you live in China, you'll probably never be able to get your be-gloved hand on one of these. Nothing like cashing in on the dead.

[Via Shanzhai]

Nokia plays musical execs, moves CFO to new Mobile Phones post

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 16th 2009 @ 2:52PM

There's nothing quite like a dismal quarterly report to shake things up, and that's exactly what Nokia's doing after losing over $800 million in its most recent three-month period. CFO Rick Simonson is being whisked over to a new post as head of the Mobile Phones group -- concentrating on Series 30 and Series 40 handsets -- within the Devices division, while Timo Ihamuotila, who currently leads up global sales, will take over for the CFO position being vacated by Simonson. For what it's worth, the move doesn't seem like a demotion for Simonson; he'll be in charge of "strategic sourcing" for the entire Devices division and still sit on the executive board, so we're sure he'll be doing alright for himself. All things considered, there's no way of knowing whether this would've all gone down without the quarterly performance, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Samsung InstinctQ for Sprint passes by the FCC and turns a few heads

by Laura June posted Sep 22nd 2009 @ 9:29AM

It's been a little piece of time since we saw that photo of the G1-esque Samsung InstinctQ emerge, and we were starting to wonder what had become of our newest QWERTY cutie. Well -- the M900, as it's also known -- has just ducked through the old FCC, and though we didn't really learn anything we didn't already know, it was just nice to see its face again. The Sprint-bound, CMDA / EV-DO-loving Android slider will pack Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and we have to say that it's looking pretty fly to our eyes. We're not sure when this bad boy's going to hit reality, but the FCC appearance makes us think it won't be too long now.

[via Unwired View, thanks Ryan]

Wales produces exceptionally graphic, educational film about the dangers of texting while driving

by Laura June posted Aug 16th 2009 @ 7:59PM

Alright, texting while driving? Obviously stupid -- but that doesn't stop tons and tons of people from doing it. The Gwent Police department in Wales hopes that its newest PSA film will help deter this bad behavior. In much the same spirit as the drunk driving on prom night films we ourselves had to sit thorough in high school, this film is pretty graphic. Okay, it's actually shockingly graphic -- but we're pretty sure that's the idea. Video is after the break.

[Via Gizmodo]

Continue reading Wales produces exceptionally graphic, educational film about the dangers of texting while driving

Sony Ericsson bracelet phone concept unearthed in patent app

by Laura June posted Jun 18th 2009 @ 7:05PM

Yeah, we can probably safely leave this one in the file we found it in: you know, the one marked "never going to happen." Regardless, when we spied this little dude on Unwired View, we thought we'd pass along the weirdness. Unearthed in a Sony Ericsson patent application mysteriously dubbed "Mobile Terminal," what we have here is a bracelet mobile phone concept, sort of reminiscent of LG's infamous GD910 watch phone. This one's got some added fun in the form of keys on the side of the wristband for a fuller typing experience. Like we said, it's never going to happen, but that won't really stop us from hoping.

Maria Sharapova models Bluetooth-enabled Sony Ericsson prototype dress

by Laura June posted Jun 18th 2009 @ 2:18PM

Sony Ericsson's official spokesperson, Maria Sharapova, was on hand recently to unveil a student-designed prototype of a Bluetooth-enabled dress. The iridescent scales that run up one side of the dress move and light up when the phone rings, enabling its owner to know about calls even in noisy places (so says the dress's maker, Georgie Davies). Yes, it's just a prototype for now, but it's a pretty cute dress, so hopefully we'll see these hit the streets at some point in the (nearish) future.

[Via Switched]

Samsung Blue Earth finally gets a hands-on treatment

by Laura June posted Jun 17th 2009 @ 12:39PM

We've been hearing about the Samsung Blue Earth -- an eco-phone, if you will -- since way back at MWC. Now CNET's finally gotten its hands on one at CommunicAsia in Singapore, and we have to say that we're pretty intrigued with what we're seeing. The back of the phone is covered with a solar panel, and Samsung says that one hour of sunning time for the mobile equals about 10 minutes of talk time. The handset also has a built-in pedometer to count steps for the Eco Walk carbon footprint app -- certainly something prospective buyers of the Blue Earth might be interested in. We still don't know full specs, pricing or availability for the phone, but we'll let you know when we do. Hit the read link for a video.

DigiCube unveils newest MID, doubles as a giant cellphone

by Laura June posted Jun 4th 2009 @ 4:38AM

Jkkmobile's gotten a hold of DigiCube's just unveiled MIDPhone-50 at Computex, and we have to say that from the looks of it, it's quite a wild affair. The MIDPhone-50 is a Windows XP, full QWERTY-boasting, touchscreen mid, and a 3.5G mobile phone to boot. The tilting, 800 x 480 touchscreen is 4.5-inches, with mini-USB, standard USB, and microSD slots, plus a docking station with VGA output. Specwise, the phone / MID has an Intel Atom Z-series CPU with up to 1GB of RAM, with Bluetooth and WiFi. The battery supposedly gets a quite sad two hours of life. There's no word on price or availability yet, but there is a video after the break.

[Via Jkkmobile, Slashgear]

Continue reading DigiCube unveils newest MID, doubles as a giant cellphone

Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner

by Laura June posted Apr 8th 2009 @ 5:12PM

South Korean telecom firm KTF has just announced a cleaning robot which can be controlled by a 3G cellphone. The robot -- called the CW100 -- was built in collaboration with Microbot, and is a "smart" vacuum (much like a Roomba). The CW100 uses an onboard video camera to send live images of what it's "seeing" to the mobile phone, and the user can then remotely control it using the keypad. The bot will be sold for KRW 500,000 (about $370) in conjunction with a data plan that runs KRW 5,000 (about $3.70) per month. Sounds pretty affordable and awesome to us -- as long as it doesn't run over the family cat. Check out another photo after the break.

[Via Unwired View]

Continue reading Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner

Sony Ericsson officially announces Maria Sharapova's fave phone, the T707

by Laura June posted Mar 26th 2009 @ 8:38PM

Sony Ericcson's just officially announced the T707 we caught sight of in a slide not too far back. The clamshell, as expected, has a 2.2-inch, QVGA external display, plus a 1.1-inch internal monochromatic OLED display (128 x 36 resolution), 100MB of internal memory, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. It will be available in Mysterious Black (black), Spring Rose (pink), and Lucid Blue (blue) when it's launched in "selected markets" during Q2. No word on pricing yet. Check out a few more shots (sans Sharapova) after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson officially announces Maria Sharapova's fave phone, the T707

HP's new iPAQ lineup surfaces with fresh photos

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 5th 2007 @ 9:35AM

Hot on the heels of those blurry, low-quality photos of the upcoming HP iPAQs, come these shiny new pics sure to have waiting fans foaming at the mouth. As you can see, the new handhelds are definitely a reality, and now we've got details on added models to the lineup, as well as rumored release information. First and foremost is the iPAQ 914 (pictured), a Windows Mobile smartphone with a 3-megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, and HSDPA support. HP is also intro'ing the 614, another Windows Mobile device (this one presumably with a touchscreen), plus GPS, WiFi, and HSDPA -- both new phones are said to be selling for around $800. The company is also introducing the 314, a GPS navigator with custom HP software, and the iPAQ 214 and 114 ($500 / $430), two Windows Mobile-based PDAs without any phone functions (though they have WiFi, allowing for VoIP). All of the devices are said to be hitting shelves in October, save for the 914, which is due (supposedly) in November. Feel free to hit the read link for more info, though we warn you, it's in Swedish.

[Via Unwired View]

SK Telecom hooks up Korean fishermen

by Brian White posted May 25th 2007 @ 8:05PM

Instead of tracking kids with cellphones, some folks in South Korea want to track those caught fish. That's right -- SK Telecom is enabling fishermen to keep tabs on the fish they're trolling for using a float-shaped ultrasonic transmitter tethered to a cellphone and a fishing line. The phone then shows the lowdown on just what's happening underseas, including water depth and fish location. Should be an interesting niche for SK Telecom to recruit the high-tech fisherman that was just waiting for a solution like this.

Kyocera develops ultrathin FWMG0-03 mobile WiFi module

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2006 @ 9:25AM

We've got all sorts of incredibly tiny chips serving very unique purposes, but Kyocera has developed a 10- x 8-millimeter wireless LAN wafer that should feel right at home in those oh-so-cramped innards of certain diminutive mobiles. The FWMG0-03 module comes in at just 1.25-millimeters thick, and provides full support for 802.11b/g protocols; aside from mounting all of the circuity on a single side of the board, compactness has been aided by the low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) used, "resulting in an enhanced bending strength of 400 MPa which is approximately double that of the general LTCC." The chip draws just 0.85 milliwatts while in standby, 550 milliwatts when transmitting data, and 291 (802.11b) / 345 (802.11g) milliwatts when receiving. While we aren't sure which cellphone manufactures are vying for batches of these minuscule modules, we do know that a trio of operating voltages will be available when these start "volume production within 2006," and SDIO / SPI will be the supported interfaces.