FCC grants permission to iphone

It reveals nothing of interest (unless you consider documents that read like high school physics lab reports to be "of interest"), but sure enough, Apple's iPhone has completed that rite of passage that all handsets must traverse on their way to adulthood: FCC approval. As expected, the iPhone filing reveals just about as little as it possibly (legally) can, offering up a rendering of the ID label location -- the best visual in the whole filing, by the way -- and an endless array of RF plots for GSM / EDGE on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, Bluetooth, and WiFi radiation. No incriminating photographs of a well-abused iPhone lying helpless on a test workbench in some cavernous lab, no user's manual. Soon, friends!

Motorola Announces New Successor To RAZR

Motorola today announced the next successor to its RAZR platform. The RAZR2 is thinner than the original RAZR yet designed to be stronger, as well as sleeker by eliminating the antenna "chin" at the bottom. It features 2 brighter QVGA screens - 2.2" inside and a large 2" display outside. The external display can used to control many functions with the phone closed using the smart keys as well as external music controls that now offer vibration feedback. The RAZR2 features a 2 Megapixel camera, and Bluetooth. Updated. It will launch this summer as the V8 for GSM/EDGE networks, the V9 for HSDPA and V9m for EV-DO.
• V8: features quad-band GSM/EDGE, Motorola's new Linux/Java platform including new user-friendly features and a full HTML browser. Includes 2 GB of built in memory but no card slot. It is 12mm thick.
• V9: thicker than the other two models but adds noise cancellation technology, a microSD slot and video sharing. However it uses Motorola's older "Synergy" platform. It is expected in late summer with quad-band GSM and HSDPA 850/1900 for the US.
• V9m: another 12mm thick model with EV-DO and media playback keys that are visible at all times (the others stay hidden until needed). Will run carrier branded interfaces and is expected at the end of summer.

Sony Ericsson Launches S500 Slider

Sony Ericsson USA announced the release of the S500, a device derived largely from the W580 Walkman handset we saw launched at CTIA earlier this year. This 94g (3.3oz) handset sports design flourishes such as themes that change between night and day, weekday and weekend, or as the seasons pass.
The quad-band GSM/EDGE S500 offers a sharp 262k color, QVGA resolution display to view photos shot with its built-in 2 megapixel camera. Photos, music, and video clips can be stored in the internal 12MB of memory, or on a Memory Stick Micro card - not included. The S500 does ship with wired stereo headphones and the Disc2Phone software, and is compatible with Bluetooth A2DP wireless headphones as well.
The 14mm thick S500 will be available in either green or yellow when it starts shipping in Q2 of this year, some time before its expected North American debut in Q3.

Sony Ericsson Launches K810 Cyber-shot Cameraphone-NEW RELEASE

UPNEXT RETAIL PRICE: $499.99
AVAILABLE COLORS IN NOBLE BLUE, ASIAN VERSION (CHINESE AVAILABLE)

Sony Ericsson announced the K810 Cyber-shot cameraphone. Building on the success of the K790/K800 introduced last year, the new K810 adds a number of features that make the 3.2 megapixel autofocus cameraphone even more camera-like. Like the K790/K800 before it, the K810 supports Sony Ericsson's BestPic feature that takes up to 9 photos in rapid succession and lets the K810 user quickly select which photos should be kept, and which should be discarded. New, however, are the K810's hardware camera setting keys that light up when the camera is activated. These buttons allow settings such as image resolution to be changed and the self-timer to be activated without having to fumble through on-screen menus.
Other camera related highlights include an active lens cover, a new Xenon flash with red eye reduction, and a new software based image optimization system that can fix exposure and contrast problems in a photo after it has been taken. Photos taken with the camera can be quickly uploaded to the user's personal blog with the K810's Picture Blogging support.
Other multimedia features of note on the K810 include the music and video player, support for TrackID, which lets the user identify songs played on the radio, and a built-in FM receiver with RDS support. Photos, videos, and music tracks can be stored on the K810's included 128MB Memory Stick Micro memory card or in the 64MB of internal storage. The 17mm (0.67") thick K810 has a large 2" QVGA resolution TFT display that can show up to 262k colors.
Other highlights of the K810 include a RSS newsfeed reader, Java MIDP 2.0 application support, and a hands-free speakerphone. The device functions on the 900, 1800, and 1900MHz GSM bands as well as the 2100MHz UMTS band used in Europe. Sadly, the device does not appear to support EDGE, even though its younger sibling, the K550 that was released at the same time, does support EDGE data. USB and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity are available, however.
Sony Ericsson expects the K810 to be available for purchase in Q2 of this year throughout Europe and Asia. It will be available in two colors: noble blue and golden ivory.

Sony Ericsson Launches P1 QWERTY Smartphone

It appears that Sony Ericsson today might have effectively retired the P9xx series of handsets with the release of the new P1. Sony Ericsson's new flagship business handset, looking much like an updated M600 with wider keys and a pair of cameras, gets support for both UMTS and WiFi 802.11b high speed connectivity in addition to a host of other improvements.
For starters, the P1 gets a new 2.6" QVGA transflective TFT display that should be much easier to read under direct sunlight. The new main camera has a 3.2MP sensor along with auto-focus that can be used to scan business cards and import the data directly into the contacts application. Media support includes a host of music file formats, streaming TV, and a built-in RDS capable FM receiver. A pair of wired headphones are included in the retail package, as is a 512MB Memory Stick Micro card to augment the 160MB of built-in storage.
Sadly, the P1 is a tri-band GSM device (900/1800/1900MHz) that supports only slow GPRS data network connections. UMTS is supported on the European 2100MHz band, which makes it quite clear that the P1 is not destined for North American shores. The new P1, which runs UIQ 3.0 on top of Symbian OS v9.1, now has support for a wide range of push email solutions, including Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and BlackBerry Connect. The QWERTY keyboard supports predictive text, but those that prefer to use a stylus can opt for on-screen handwriting recognition instead.
Other features of note include support for reading and writing common Microsoft Office file formats, VoIP calling, a speakerphone, and a jog-dial to aid in navigation. The P1 ships with the Opera 8 browser and an RSS reader pre-installed, and makes available a freely downloadable picture blogging application.
The P1 will go on sale in Q3 of this year in "selected markets," according to Sony Ericsson.

Sony Ericsson Shows T650 with 3.2MP AF Camera

Sony Ericsson launched what might be considered the spiritual successor to the company's popular T610, the new stainless steel finished T650. The new T650 gets a host of updates that set it apart from the T610, bringing the device squarely into modern times. For starters, the T650 supports 3G UMTS on the 2100MHz band as well as tri-band GSM/GPRS support. The T610's lowly .1 megapixel camera has been replaced by a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus unit. It seems that much can change in 4 years.
Other features of note on the T650 include Bluetooth 2.0 stereo support, a 262k color QVGA display, and a Memory Stick Micro card slot for expansion. The T650 weighs around 95g (3.3oz) and is pretty thin in profile at 12.5mm thick. A new feature on the T650 is the illumination effects system that controls the keypad backlighting and the lights on the sides of the phone: the lights interact with on-screen animations to add to the phone's entertainment value.
The Sony Ericsson T650 will be available in both green and blue when it starts shipping in Q3 of this year. Sony Ericsson has yet to provide information on pricing or the specific markets where the T650 will be available, but it seems unlikely that it will reach North America due to its lack of support for the North American 850MHz GSM band.