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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]

LG to announce Snapdragon-boasting Android phone, Korea-bound in 2010

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 @ 11:58AM

It's looking like LG will be offering an Android phone boasting Qualcomm's hot Snapdragon chip -- which has recently squeezed its way into handsets such as the Xperia X10 and Acer's Liquid. The new LG mobile phone is expected for the Korean market in the second quarter of 2010. While the device is still unnamed and specs are still a mystery, LG is promising that the device will be "more mature" than the GW620 Eve, an Android device announced earlier this week for Rogers in Canada. There's no solid word on what availability of the device will be like, though LG says its considering possibilities outside of Korea.

[Via Slashgear]

BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

by Laura June posted Nov 5th 2009 @ 12:00AM

RIM's successor to the original Bold -- the BlackBerry Bold 9700 -- has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don't get us wrong -- we loved the 9000's aesthetics obsessively -- which is why we couldn't wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor's notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Nokia announces the end of its N-Gage gaming platform

by Laura June posted Oct 30th 2009 @ 1:31PM

Nokia has officially announced that it will put an end to its problem-plagued N-Gage gaming service, integrating it into its Ovi Store. The move isn't really a shocker, and while Nokia has confirmed that no further games will be published, it's also said that it will continue to sell currently available games in the Ovi Store (as of today) until the end of September 2010. The N-Gage website, which holds the Arena and community boards, will also continue until that time. Nokia says that any already purchased games will continue to run on the mobile device, but that any connected community features will be non-functional come 2010.

[Via Pocket Lint]

FCC keen on commandeering TV spectrum for wireless broadband

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 28th 2009 @ 7:12AM

We'll come right out and say it, we like Julius Genachowski. Whether you agree with the dude's policies or not, you can't deny he's pursuing them with gusto. Having already noted the insufficient carrying capacity of current mobile broadband airways to deal with incoming 4G connections, the FCC chairman is now reported to be moving ahead with plans to provide greater spectrum allocation for those purposes. Currently in the draft stage, the latest Commission proposals include a plan to reclaim airwaves from digital broadcasters (and pay them appropriately for it), which are to then be sold off to the highest bidder from among the wireless service providers. Executing the most extreme version of this plan could generate around $62 billion in auction revenues, though it would require transitioning digital TV viewers over to cable or subscription services and is therefore unlikely. Jules and his crew are still "looking at everything" and ruling out nothing, but we can probably expect to see a moderate shift of TV spectrum rights over to wireless carriers in the final plans when they're revealed in February.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Sense UI update for HTC Magic makes the scene in Taiwan

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 5:04PM

If our ability to guesstimate Chinese website contents based on sketchy machine translation software is correct, it looks like HTC Magic owners in Taiwan are finally getting that Sense UI update they've been teased with since mid-August. Further blurring the lines between the aforementioned handset and the Hero, it is unknown whether or not the update will ever come to carriers besides Chunghwa Telecom, or how long that could even take. One thing we are fairly certain of, however, is that phones "with Google" will probably remain without this update, into perpetuity. Sorry, myTouch! If you're one of the lucky few, hit that read link to get started.

[Via Unwired View]

Acer neoTouch S200 reviewed, not recommended

by Laura June posted Oct 20th 2009 @ 11:09AM

After what seemed like a full lifetime of waiting, Acer's recently-launched neoTouch S200 is finally making its way into some reviewing hands. The fine young cannibals over at Phone Arena have just given it the head to toe treatment, and we have to say, we're glad they've done the dirty work for us. This WinMo 6.5 handset, according to their impressions, seems to be a not fully baked affair -- sluggishness and random crashing are both reported, as is a rather serious sounding call quality issue. The battery also seems to be inadequate for a workday, coming in at around five hours. Overall, the phone suffers from software optimization problems more than hardware issues. The one ray of light in all this is of course that 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, which can multitask and handle several things at once without flinching -- but it's rather hard to get pumped about it in the face of all that sadness. Hit the read link for the full, exhaustive review.

HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 15th 2009 @ 10:51AM

Just a quick note to all you HAVA Player enthusiasts: the iPhone app that the company announced at CES is finally ready for public consumption. Available from the App Store (of all places), the software lets HAVA owners control it all remotely -- including cable, satellite, and your DVR. What's more, you can stream your recorded programming right onto the handset for all those times when you can't stand to be apart from Jim Kramer. Supports iPhone and iPod touch with (OS 2.2.1 or higher) and will run you $9.99. PR after the break.

Continue reading HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXIX: Genuine Android shipping on a counterfeit Storm

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 13th 2009 @ 3:17PM

Looks like someone in Shenzhen had time to kill overnight at the Storm factory -- and they've put it to good use. Instead of giving us a faux-BlackBerry with a horribly mangled KIRFed-out UI (or at most WinMo) what we have here is a genuine clone with a trackball thrown in for good measure running honest-to-goodness Android 1.5. Dubbed the Broncho A1, this guy features a 600MHz CPU, 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and an FM radio. That's the good news. The bad? 128MB RAM isn't going to do much for you, app-wise. Oh, well. Price and ship date to be announced at a later date. Get a closer look in the gallery below.

Gallery: Genuine Android shipping on a counterfeit Storm

[Via Cloned In China]

David Hockney paints with his iPhone, results not typical

by Laura June posted Oct 11th 2009 @ 9:36AM

Artist David Hockney isn't afraid of picking up new media -- over the years, he's used Polaroids, photocollages, and even fax machines to create his art -- in addition to regular, old-fashioned painting. Now, he's taken to using his iPhone to create new works of art. The resultant "paintings" have been exhibited at the Tate Gallery and Royal Academy in London, as well as galleries in Los Angeles and Germany. Like artist Jorge Colombo (whose iPhone fingerpainting was featured on the cover of The New Yorker), Hockney uses the iPhone app Brushes to create his works. In an interview with the New York Review of Books, Hockney notes that he prefers and still uses the original version of the app, not the more recent updates. Hmm... maybe the reason our own Brushes paintings stink is because we're using the update!

[Via All Things D]

Ultra-limited edition Nokia N97 mini RAOUL launched for Nokia Singapore

by Laura June posted Oct 11th 2009 @ 2:31AM

Nokia's teamed up with fashion house RAOUL for a special, limited edition N97 mini. The leather-heavy pack will contain a stripe-emblazoned N97 mini with a custom designed Fashion Asia widget and a calf-skin leather case. The whole shebang will come in a leather bound RAOUL box. The production will be limited to just 1000 units (sort of good news for the calves, we suppose), so if you live in Singapore and want to get one, we'd suggest getting a move on: they're up for pre-order right now for 400 euro -- about $589.

[Via GSM Arena]

RIM posts new BlackBerry widget APIs, dev kit

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 9th 2009 @ 1:26PM

We know you love widgets, so feast your eyes on this: RIM has just announced a software development kit for creating web-based widgets on the BlackBerry platform. With new APIs that allow access to a everything from email and calendar applications to the GPS, media player, files and documents stored on the smartphone, the handset's push technology and more, hot-to-trot software developers such as yourself can build all kinds of crazy apps for OS 5. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link for everything you need -- including the Smartphone Simulator and BlackBerry Widget SDK beta. And be sure you drop us a line after creating some award-winning apps. PR after the break.

[Via PhoneArena]

Continue reading RIM posts new BlackBerry widget APIs, dev kit

BlackBerry Bold 2 set for November 11 T-Mobile launch?

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 9th 2009 @ 12:39PM

The word on the street is that the BlackBerry Bold 2 (aka 9700, aka Onyx) will be heading to T-Mobile -- and, subsequently, into the hands and hearts of the eager American public -- on November 11. This would seem to jibe with talk of AT&T and T-Mobile coming out parties slated for October 21, although we'll have to wait for an official announcement. On the other hand, we have seen enough of this device over the months that it would be a shock if its debut was anything less than imminent. Ms. Yuki must be ecstatic.

[Via SlashGear]

Maemo 6 UI concept revealed to include portrait mode, capacitive multitouch

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 9th 2009 @ 11:10AM

Today at the Maemo Summit -- which we like to imagine happens in a lavish, remote mountain fortress somewhere in Finland -- Nokia dropped some interesting hints about what we can expect from Maemo 6. Look for both portrait and landscape support, multitouch, capacitive touchscreens, an "iconic user experience and integrated internet services in one aesthetic package" (as opposed to a user experience that lacks icons, integrated internet services, or aesthetics, we suppose), and a desktop significantly larger than the display, which can be navigated either vertically or horizontally: Nokia is calling this "the canvas principle," although we'd call it "possibly quite confusing" unless the design is particularly well implemented. But the designers have plenty of time for that: Maemo 6 probably won't see the light of day until late 2010. Hit the read link for plenty more mind-blowing slides.

[Via SlashGear]

BlackBerry Messenger 5 now available, we go hands-on

by Jacob Schulman posted Oct 8th 2009 @ 4:20PM

BlackBerry Messenger: it's the holy grail of the BlackBerry platform, and, for many, the only real reason why they don't make the jump to another smartphone. Well, RIM has finally gone ahead and released the latest and greatest version upon the world (in an official capacity at least), and we're definitely pleased with the added functionality and other updates that they've cooked in to the app to make it even more useful and better. Read on after the break for a full breakdown of what's hot, what's new, and what we think of it all.