Thursday, October 2, 2008
Nokia's First Touch Screen Phone Comes to Light
Today Nokia announced the XpressMusic 5800, a new touch screen-based device that is aimed at the youth market. The 5800 will come with several different radio configurations, including one for European markets and a quad-band GSM/EDGE dual-band 850/1900 MHz HSDPA variant for North America. It also packs in stereo Bluetooth, a-GPS and Wi-Fi. The screen measure 3.2 inches across and 640 x 360 pixels for QVGA resolution. It uses touch-resistance (not touch-capacitance) technology for the touch screen and haptic feedback. Other specs include stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headset jack and a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flashes. The camera also shoots video at 30 frames per second. It will run S60 5th Edition, which is adapted to work with touch input. The updates to the S60 include a new contacts bar, a new media key and simplified menu systems. The 5800 will be boxed with lots of accessories, including an 8GB microSD card, though the phone will support cards up to 16GB. The phone will be available in European markets starting in the fourth quarter of 2008, and other markets, including the U.S., in the first quarter of 2009. Pricing information was not immediately disclosed.
LG Launches A Pair of Touch Screen Phones
Today LG announced two new touch-based handsets, the high-end KC910 Renoir and the KP500. Both phones launch in European markets in October, followed by other regions in the first quarter of 2009.
KC910: This successor to the Viewty has an 8 megapixel camera and advanced camera features, such as Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics, a Xenon flash, auto and manual focus, sensitivity up to ISO 1600 and geo-tagging. The Renoir lets users focus on anything in the viewfinder by simply touching where they want the phone to focus. The camera will focus on that spot and fire off a shot when the user lifts his/her finger. It can record video from 5 to 120 frames per second. Other camera features include Beauty Shot, which lets users remove blemishes from subjects' faces. The Renoir also has Dolby Mobile for Music, Wi-Fi, a-GPS and support for HSDPA 3G networks. Which bands it supports was not immediately available.
KP500: LG says the KP500 will be an affordable touch screen with quad-band GSM/EDGE radios. It will come with a stylus and has messaging and photo editing features, as well as an accelerometer that will auto-rotate the display when the phone is moved.
KC910: This successor to the Viewty has an 8 megapixel camera and advanced camera features, such as Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics, a Xenon flash, auto and manual focus, sensitivity up to ISO 1600 and geo-tagging. The Renoir lets users focus on anything in the viewfinder by simply touching where they want the phone to focus. The camera will focus on that spot and fire off a shot when the user lifts his/her finger. It can record video from 5 to 120 frames per second. Other camera features include Beauty Shot, which lets users remove blemishes from subjects' faces. The Renoir also has Dolby Mobile for Music, Wi-Fi, a-GPS and support for HSDPA 3G networks. Which bands it supports was not immediately available.
KP500: LG says the KP500 will be an affordable touch screen with quad-band GSM/EDGE radios. It will come with a stylus and has messaging and photo editing features, as well as an accelerometer that will auto-rotate the display when the phone is moved.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
AT&T: LTE 'Significantly Available' In 5 Years
Speaking at a technology conference, Hank Kafka, VP of Architecture for AT&T Mobility, said that AT&T has, "a lot of runway left with HSPA and HSPA-plus." He went on to imply that HSPA will continue to serve as AT&T's high-speed data network for at least another two or three years. Kafka also mentioned that WiMax will remain a niche technology, and said that no company should be using the term "4G" (which is what Sprint is calling its Xohm network) until the standards bodies ratify the requirements of 4G networks. He expects LTE to be widely deployed within five years.
Adobe Confirms that Flash is Ready for the iPhone
Speaking at a conference, an Adobe employee confirmed that the company is working on Flash support for the Apple iPhone's Safari browser. The representative did not provide further details. Enabling Flash on the iPhone would open up the device's browser to a much richer and even more desktop-like Internet experience.
T-Mobile Launches Rugged Motorola W450
Today Motorola announced the addition of the MOTOACTV W450 to T-Mobile's lineup of devices. The W450 is a ruggedized clamshell that carries quad-band GSM/EDGE and stereo Bluetooth radios. It also packs a 1.3 megapixel camera, messaging capabilities, media player, and T-Mobile's T-Zones. It has a slot for microSD cards up to 2GB and has a 2.5mm headset jack. The W450 will be preloaded with software from the Mayo Clinic that allows users to look up "symptoms and first aid tips for ailments that develop on the trail, such as poison ivy." The W450 is available starting today.
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