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Posts with tag siemens

Nokia Siemens completes LTE field trial, 173Mbps worth of success

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 27th 2007 @ 5:25PM

So-called Long Term Evolution -- GSM's chosen warpath for the next generation of data networks -- has been getting its groove on in labs for some time now, so Nokia Siemens decided it was high time to kick things up a notch by taking it out into the wild. The wireless infrastructure joint venture deployed an LTE base station in Berlin on the nascent 2.6GHz band and sent cars equipped with test equipment as far as one kilometer away to check performance, and put simply, the results were good: 173Mbps good, in the best cases. Of course, commercial deployment of LTE is still years away -- Nokia Siemens makes a point of listing 2010 as the target right in its press release -- but it's good to hear that things are coming along swimmingly, and we're sure Verizon would agree.

[Via PhoneMag and Ubergizmo]

BenQ Siemens' crazy SL98 reverse slider shows up on eBay

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 11th 2007 @ 10:37AM


Remember this little gem? We're pretty sure the SL98 "reverse slider" went the same way as BenQ Siemens itself -- south, that is -- but there's been at least one more chance here to get in on one of the world's most bizarre form factors. eBay's German outpost recently turned up a listing for an SL98 prototype with a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD slot, and QVGA display -- and while we don't know if we trust the mechanism to work flawlessly on some funky early hand-built handset, how the heck else are you going to get one? Sadly, the auction has already ended -- but maybe, if you're really lucky, the buyer will relist with a premium tacked on.

[Via Unwired View and gizmos.es]

Fujitsu Siemens Computers bails on PDA / PNA market

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 11th 2007 @ 7:43AM

Leaving so soon, are we? Turns out Fujitsu Siemens Computers is ditching the PDA / PNA market after 2007, which means that those bulky, albeit fashionable Loox handhelds will soon be available only in closeout bins and on your favorite auction site -- and just think, things were lookin' so bright just last year. According to a statement by FSC spokesperson Amy Flécher, the decision to cut the proverbial cord was simply "due to the usual examination of the portfolios," and the firm apparently noticed that "the traditional handheld segment (PDA) [had been shrinking] for years." Essentially, the company felt that smartphones would eventually swallow the "traditional handhelds" of the world, and considering that cranking out smartphones "is not its business at all," the choice seems logical.

BenQ-Siemens SL98 reverse slider

by Sean Cooper, posted Jul 24th 2007 @ 9:42AM


Just when we thought that the slider form factor had reached its zenith, BenQ-Siemens has apparently knocked that all to bits with this, the SL98. Rather than always having the screen exposed to the elements -- and über abrasive pocket lint -- this novel approach has a small display to get a quick peek at incoming call info, with the main screen squirreled away inside. With the touch of a button -- or flick of the wrist, we really don't know -- the main screen is unleashed for your viewing pleasure. As proof that these guys are on to something, both Asus and LG have submit patent applications with similar ideas. Pretty slick stuff, we're looking forward to getting more details as soon as we can.

[Thanks, Staska]

BenQ-Siemens' SF71 set to launch?

by Brian White, posted Apr 16th 2007 @ 9:16PM

Although rumors of the BenQ-Siemens SF71 have floated around the web for quite a while now, will the handset be released any time soon? The SF71's shiny metal "armor plating" and flat keypad stay hip to the brushed-metal housings we're seeing in fashionphones these days -- and with UMTS, a microSD slot and Bluetooth 2.0 along with a QVGA display and 2 megapixel cam, specs are right in the mix, too. Alas, with BenQ-Siemens falling on really hard times these days, even this armor-plated phone may not be able to save the company from shooting itself in the foot.

[Via Unwired View]

F-Origin's HaptiTouch 2.0: MyOrigo returns!

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 5th 2007 @ 9:30AM

Step asside Immersion, you're not the only ones offering haptic technology for mobile devices. From the ashes of MyOrigo's assets comes F-Origin's HaptiTouch 2.0 force-sensing technology. Pressure sensors measure your push on the screen to cause a "pinpointed vibration" directly below your finger. In contrast, Immersion uses resistive technology which measures the changes in electrical current as your grubby finger smudges across the display. See, as good as they look, the problem with the latest round of button-less, touchscreen handsets is the lack of that good ol' fashioned haptic feedback. Something you'll surely miss while tapping away on a zero-feedback, touchscreen keyboard. Immersion's VibeTonz tech can already be found in Samsung's SCH-W559 phone loosed in China. With any luck, F-origin will be licensing their newly acquired technology to manufacturers such as Siemens who will "likely" be first to market with product before the year is up. Check the 2003 MyOrigo Mydevice with 2007 F-Origin corporate voice over (and complimentary audio cheese) after the break.

[Via Wired Gadget Lab]

Nokia Siemens Networks to open doors on April Fool's Day

by Brian White, posted Mar 17th 2007 @ 11:40AM

Everyone stay calm -- we're just talking boring back-end equipment here, not handsets. Nokia Siemens Networks -- formerly Nokia Networks -- will officially open its doors for business here in a few weeks on April 1, 2007. It's no joke (we think) that the new company chose that particular date in light of Siemens having a horrible run of luck in the wireless biz lately, even indirectly assisting with bankruptcy issues with certain benefactors of its old handset division. Nokia's strong presence in the GSM network infrastructure market will be bolstered by having Siemens' lengthy customer call caddy nearby as well as being able to more fully compete with wireless telecom heavyweights Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson.

Corruption investigation postpones Nokia-Siemens merger

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Dec 20th 2006 @ 12:50PM

A review into Siemens's compliance with an investigation into corruption has postponed the company's equipment merger with Nokia. A merger of network infrastructure at the two companies may now be put back several months as investigators determine the validity of bribery charges levied at Siemens, and the effects of the arrest of the former head of Siemens's equipment group come to light. As recently as November, the two companies had stated that they expected to become Nokia Siemens Networks -- which was estimated would produce $20 billion a year in revenue -- by January 2007. The companies now expect the merger to be complete by sometime in the first financial quarter of next year, although that depends on how well, or badly, the investigation progresses. As long as the two companies keep on cranking out the phones, then we'll remain obliviously happy, but if the investigation turns up s'more dirt, we'll be sure to shovel it through the nearest web browser window.

BenQ-Siemens P51 now available (in China, that is)

by Chris Ziegler, posted Nov 18th 2006 @ 4:32PM

Save for a recent cameo in the FCC's files, BenQ's latest P51 Pocket PC phone has been a longstanding resident of vaporware land -- and thanks to the relentless, ever-onward march of time, a phone that had some folks drooling when it was first announced is now relegated to the midrange. Yeah, we're a little jaded about the whole thing, but anyone still interested in picking up the GPS-enabled QWERTY Pocket PC can apparently now do so over in China for around 6500 yuan ($825, give or take). Now if you'll excuse us, we need to walk to the Cingular store to pick up an HP hw6925 for, like, half the dinero.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

BenQ pulls the plug on its German mobile division

by Cyrus Farivar, posted Sep 28th 2006 @ 5:45PM

Auf wiedersehen, BenQ-Siemens, we hardly knew ye. Yes, the struggling German mobile division of BenQ has just filed for bankruptcy protection as per orders from BenQ headquarters in Taiwan. The International Herald Tribune reports that BenQ estimated the company has lost $762 million on the mobile division (which employs 3,000 workers) since it took over the Siemens business in October 2005. Further, The Associated Press adds that the German division will be completely excised from BenQ "financially and operationally once the bankruptcy protection is approved." It's too bad that we won't have the maker of "feminine luxury" or of the "Treo 600-killing" P50 to kick around anymore, because really, who doesn't love a good underdog?

Read - IHT
Read - AP
[Thanks, Antti]

BenQ-Siemens' SL80 offers "feminine luxury"

by Chris Ziegler, posted Aug 25th 2006 @ 12:49PM

Siemens' SL75 slider is all growed up now, and besides adding 5 to the model number, the SL80 (now by BenQ-Siemens, of course) seems to have developed an affinity for the fairer sex. Unlike its older sibling, the SL80 is only available in the decidedly feminine "Mauve Sensation," and BenQ is pulling no punches in saying the phone is aimed squarely at women. Skimming through the specs, it seems to be a modest upgrade from the SL75, offering an identical shell and button layout, the same tri-band GSM and EDGE support, 1.3-megapixel camera, 52MB of internal memory, Bluetooth, and music player. In fact, the more we look, the more it seems the SL80 is just a pink SL75. The boys among us are feeling far less excluded now than they were a few minutes ago; as for the ladies, you can pick up your own Mauve Sensation starting in October.

[Via Slashphone]

BenQ-Siemens' Hello Kitty-themed AL61

by Chris Ziegler, posted Aug 15th 2006 @ 9:19PM

We've certainly seen our fair share of Hello Kitty products -- heck, we've even gone through a few Hello Kitty cellphones -- but what BenQ-Siemens' Hello Kitty AL61 lacks in originality, it makes up in brand recognition (bear in mind the last Hello Kitty-themed handset we saw came from Taiwan's OKWAP). The AL61 is a fairly pedestrian slider, offering a marginal 130 x 130 display with not a camera to be found, but of course the draw here is what you get on the side: themed wallpapers, ringtones, games, and so on, not to mention the soft pink / translucent white case that only a die-hard Hello Kitty fan could love. Look for the handset to land in markets worldwide as soon as this month. Or, as in our case, don't look for it.

Siemens SL-65 Interceptor spy phone

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2006 @ 6:11AM

So the premise of spying on someone, whatever the reasons, is definitely not new to cellphones. The incessant paranoia keeps gadgets like these popping up every so often -- but the Siemens SL-65 takes high-end voyeurism to an even darker corner. As you'd probably imagine, you dial up the device's super-secret number to instantly surreptitious listen in on whatever's happening up to five meters away from the mic. For even more "proof" of an ongoing scandal, the phone will automatically send the caller an SMS whenever a call is made or received, so you can spend ever more time wondering who's calling at 1:00AM. Spyphones even goes so far as claiming no technician can ever identify its secretive nature (unless of course they read Engadget), but at €1,699.00 ($2,169.96 USD), the SL-65 is only slightly less expensive than a private investigator -- and we do stress slightly.

[Via MobileWhack]

Nokia, Siemens merging phone equipment units

by Evan Blass, posted Jun 18th 2006 @ 9:40PM

Big news in the wireless industry: the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nokia, the world's number one handset manufacturer, is planning on merging its phone equipment unit with that of Germany's Siemens AG to create a company worth an estimated $31.5 billion. Even though both parties will have equal ownership on paper, it is clear that Nokia will exert more influence on the new entity, as it will be based in Finland, led by Nokia executive Simon Beresford-Wylie, and have a board controlled by Nokia-picked members. Besides the $1.58 billion in annual savings that both companies will realize in eliminating duplicate R&D operations, the real benefit of the merger will be the stronger market position held by the combined units in the face of growing competition from Asian manufacturers. According to the Journal (subscription required, as usual), the two companies will formally announce their plans tomorrow.

[Thanks, John]

The M81: BenQ-Siemens gets in touch with its sporty side

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 13th 2006 @ 5:33PM

Apparently, the folks at BenQ are looking to make a run on Nokia's "active lifestyle" category of phones, unleashing the shock / splash / dust-resistant M81 today in Munich. Besides the navigation (GPS module sold seperately) and weather clients, built-in flashlight, and relatively tough exterior clad in "high-quality synthetics and rubber," not much differentiates the device from your typical midrange candybar: 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM with EDGE data, 176 x 132 display, 1.3 megapixel camera, music player, and MicroSD slot in your choice of Graphite Black or Steel Blue. The M81 starts shipping to joggers and snowboarders in August.

[Via Slashphone]




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