News

Disney & Sharp to team up again?

On Friday the FCC approved a new Sharp manufactured WCDMA Triband phone codenamed DM003SH which if my guess is correct points it towards the  Disney Mobile brand.

Sharp DM003SH FCC Image

Disney Mobile has already said no to its US-based MVNO operations, and are now going to try out the Japanese market with time leased already from Japan’s Softbank.

Having announced the DM001SH in Febuary 2008 they decided to keep going and in June 2008 Sharp announced the DM002SH mobile phone which was dubbed as the Cinderella phone, it featured a 2.6 inch internal display with a WQVGA resolution (400×240 pixel), a 0.5 inch external OLED display, 50MB of memory, a 2MP camera, Bluetooth, microSD slot, and a 1Seg Tuner. Both models were available in three colour variants which basically were Crystal, Brown, and Pink

Sharp DM001SH & Sharp DM002SH

I can almost say hand on heart that if the DM002SH was ever released in the UK it would sell to our female teen to young lady market like there was no other phone out there.

Judging by the previous two attempts made by Disney and the fact the the FCC details are being restricted just now we can only guess that the new DM003SH will also be a flip styled phone following in a similar style to the 2 predecessors.

So what can I tell you so far about this new phone? Well here is all I know:

• Triband
• Bluetooth
• 3.2 MP Camera
• 3G

I’m looking forward to seeing more of this phone and will keep you all updated.

Posted by: John McKenzie

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 delayed (again)

Just heard from Clove Technology that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is subject to further delays.

The X1 was due to start shipping to customers this week but it would seem that there are further supply issues with the device. No word on the extent of the delay at the moment but I suspect maybe another week rather than any lengthy delay.

I know this will come as a disappointment and frustration to many of you but I know that SE are keen to get things right rather than release a product that needs patching or updating a week after you purchase it.

I’ll try to get official word from SE in the morning.

On the more positive side I’ve just managed to get my hands on a pre-release (PR Unit) X1 and I’ll be starting off the review shortly. I’ll take plenty of photos over the weekend for you to drool over.

Please do get in touch with me by commenting below if you have any questions that you would like me to answer of if there is anything specific that you think that we should cover in the review.

EDIT: Please check out my new Xperia X1 Answers post.

Posted by: Matt

Motorola VC6096 – Windows Mobile ON a whole new level

I’ve often heard people complaining that their phone is like a brick but Motorola have decided to give this term it’s very own phone.

The VC6096 is the worlds heaviest Windows Mobile device at 4.85 pounds. I’m not gonna lie, the phone has features like no other but it really isn’t designed for the standard user market. Aimed at transportation and logistics providers this In-Vehicle / Fixed Mount mobile computer has been designed to achieve cost-effective compliance, maximize driver productivity, improve safety and vehicle utilization, reduce costs and improve customer service.

Enough babbling from me, here it is:

Motorola VC6096

VC6096 WWAN In-Vehicle/Fixed Mount Mobile Computer

The VC6096 all-in-one in-cab solution is designed to help transportation and logistics providers achieve cost-effective compliance, maximize driver productivity, improve safety and vehicle utilization, reduce costs and improve customer service. Built to handle the rigors of the road, the device provides drivers with the comprehensive simultaneous wireless voice and data capabilities needed to maximize operational efficiency — including wireless WAN (WWAN), wireless LAN (WLAN), Bluetooth, GPS and telematics support. An open-platform solution, the VC6096 gives you the power of choice, allowing you to select and control the applications and peripherals that best meet your business needs.

I’m not often taken aback by stats but lets be honest when have you ever seen some of the weird and wonderful stats like the ones shown below?

• Audio: Headset; speakerphone; volume control
• CPU: XScale™ PXA270 624 MHz processor
• Expansion options: SD slot (maximum 2 GB)
• Memory: 128MB SDRAM/256MB Flash
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
• GPS: SiRFstarII GSC3ef/LP GPS chipset
• Wireless LAN: WPA2, WEP (40 or 128 bit), TKIP, TLS, TTLS (MS-CHAP), TTLS (MS-CHAP v2), TTLS (CHAP), TTLS-MD5, TTLS-PAP, PEAP-TLS, PEAP (MS-CHAP v2), AES, LEAP
• Dimensions: HxWXD – 9.53 in. H x 9.25 in. W x 1.95 in. D / 24.2 cm H x 23.5 cm W x 4.95 cm D
• Keyboard: Full backlit QWERTY, 65-key with tactile feedback and audible key beep
• Weight: 4.85 lbs./2.2 kg.
• Altitude: Operating range: 1,200 ft./365 m below sea level to 15,000 ft./4,572 m above sea level
• Crash hazard: MIL-STD-810E, 516.5 Proc VI
• Electrostatic discharge (ESD): +/- 15kV air discharge, +/- 8kV direct discharge
• Humidity: Up to 95% non-condensing at 50 degrees C
• Mechanical shock: MIL-STD 810E 516.4, Procedure 1 – Functional Shock
• Operating temperature: -4 degrees to 140 degrees F / -20 degrees to 60 degrees C
• Salt fog: MIL-STD 810F (survives eight hours of 5 percent salt solution fog at 35° C)
• Solar radiation: MIL-STD 810E, Method 505.3, Procedure I
• Storage temperature: -40 degrees to 140 degrees F / -40 degrees to 60 degrees C
• Thermal shock: -40° F to +176° F/-40° C to +80° C
• Vibration: MIL-STD 810E, Method 514.4, Ground Mobile (VIII)
• Warranty: The standard one year warranty will be offered for workmanship flaws. For breakage and user damage, a pre-determined fixed fee repair/replacement policy will be implemented. Display breakage may be covered with certain contract offerings, such as Service From the Start with Comprehensive Coverage.
  Powered by vehicle: Voltage input 10V to 33Vdc
• Electrical safety: IEC 60950-1, Certified to UL / cUL 60950-1
• Environmental: RoHS/WEEE compliant
• RF exposure: USA: FCC Part 2, FCC OET Bulletin 65 Supplement C; Canada: RSS-102, EU: EN 50360

I for one wont be buying one but you can be assured that this will end up being the must have gadget for company’s in 2009.

XDA Orbit 2 gets Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade

o2 have just put the Windows Mobile 6.1 update online for the o2 XDA Orbit 2. The update brings better battery management, (slightly) improved Internet Explorer experience and a quick start help system.

You’ll need a valid IMEI to proceed, and as usual we’d advise backing everything up and charging your battery

Also remember that there are Windows Mobile 6.1 SMTP issues so have a think before you upgrade.

Posted by: John

RIM Blackberry Storm Gets Official

After tons of info leaked already, the Blackberry Storm finally got the official treatment. It will be sold exclusively by Vodafone in Europe and Verizon Wireless in the US. Telius in Canada will also be pushing the device to local customers.

Blackberry Storm 9500

The Blackberry Storm is the first touch screen device by BlackBerry. It’s got a spanking new user interface, which as it seems is fluid enough to compete the Apple iPhone with an ease.

Now that the Blackberry Storm is finally announced and the specs are all clear, it turns out that it doesn’t pack Wi-Fi functionality as rumored.

The Blackberry Storm 9500 will be sold through Vodafone networks and will be free on monthly plans of 35 GBP and up with an 18-month contract.

Blackberry Storm 9530

The Blackberry Storm 9530 is the variant of the handset that will be sold in North America. Along with the quad-band GSM and 2100Mhz UMTS support that the 9500 model has, it will also offer CDMA2000 1xEV-DO support.

News & Images: GSM Arena

Posted by: John

Motorola Moto Q 11 Gets Official

Whilst not having posted it it here previously I’m sure you have seen lots of leaked photos already on the net regarding this handset. The Moto Q 11 is not unlike the previous Moto Q handsets with its QWERTY design and Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.

Motorola Moto Q 11

So stats wise the handset will have the following:

• Talk Time: Up to approximately 450 minutes
• Standby Time: Up to approximately 195 hours
• Quad-band GPRS/EDGE Class 10
• Supports SMS, MMS, Integrated ActiveSync Email Push, Java App for IM
• Supports MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC+ Enhanced, WAV, WMA, WAX, WMV
• Video Supports RV, MPEG4, H.264, WMV, 15 fps
• 3MP Fixed Focus Camera with LED Flash & 8x Zoom (Probable Digital)
• Memory: 128MB Flash, 64 MB RAM, optional microSD card up to 32GB
• Weight: 115g
• Dimensions: 117x64x11.7 mm
• Batery: 1170 mAH
• Connectivity: MicroUSB/USB 1.1,
• Bluetooth Class 1 v2.1 wireless technology
• Display: 2.4” 320 x 240 TFT 262K
• GPS and aGPS
• Mobility: 802.11b/g4
• Chipset: LTE + Intel Bulverde
• Windows Mobile 6.1
• Browser: WAP 2.2 / HTML / Pocket IE 6

Having recently used and reviewed the Blackberry Bold with a similar design I think I would quite like to see how Windows Mobile handles on a device like this so feel free to ship one of these to us Motorola.

There is no news yet on the carriers or the pricing but you can be assured that we will release this info when we get it. The expectation for release is December sometime.

Posted by: John

RIM Blackberry Storm – The first commercial

Yesterday CBS released their very first commercial for Verizon featuring the Blackberry Storm. Amongst loads of leaked photos, manuals and power point presentations this is the first real show of the phone.

Commercial

I also came across a video of the Vodafone release on You Tube which looked really good, so knowing that I hadn’t posted anything about the Storm here yet I decided to let you see this too.

Press Release

Tomorrow I will stick up a post with all that’s known so far about the Storm but in the meantime enjoy the videos, I did!

Posted by: John

No HTC HD for the US

HTC may well have decided to launch their world first G1 in the US however they have decided not to release their new Touch HD phone there which is news that has rattled a few cages across the pond.

HTC Touch HD

HTC have advised that sadly, due to the engineering time required to get a North American 3G version in the pipeline, they would be better waiting until the next round of products launches. What this actually means is left open to interpretation but essentially the Touch HD will not be released in the US.

Posted by: John

SanDisk Launches 16GB microSD and M2 Cards

Despite the fact the we never really fill up our masses of memory on our home PC’s we manage to do this very easily on our mobile devices. With most of us owning a least a mobile phone, camera and mp3/4 player that is either already full or nearing capacity this announcement comes as a breathe of fresh air.

16gb Micro SDHC

SanDisk is bringing to market new 16GB* microSDHC™ and Memory Stick Micro™ (M2)™ mobile memory cards. The new, tiny 16GB cards are the world’s largest storage capacity for mobile phones and will be available at various retailers in the U.S., Europe and Asia in October.
The fingernail-sized 16GB memory cards allow consumers to “wake up” the many storage-intensive features offered by today’s portable handsets such as music and video playback, high-definition digital camera functions, gaming and GPS applications. In addition to the mobile phone, consumers can use the 16GB microSDHC card in a multitude of other devices, including a video camera, GPS receiver or a MP3 player with a microSD™ slot such as SanDisk’s Sansa® players.
SanDisk’s 16GB microSDHC card has an MSRP of £45 (excl. VAT) and the 16GB M2 card has an MSRP of £60 (excl. VAT).
MicroSD cards are designed for slot-equipped legacy mobile phones and can hold a maximum capacity of 2GB. Today’s microSDHC cards are available in 4GB, 8GB and now 16GB, are ideal for newer mobile phone models, most of which are compatible with these higher capacity cards.  The Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards are designed for Sony Ericsson’s new generation of mobile phones, all of which are compatible with the 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacity levels.  SanDisk’s 16GB mobile memory cards come with a five-year limited warranty.

16gb Memory Stick Micro (M2)

I’m not denying that mobile memory is very expensive however lets not forget what 16gb can do for us data freaks. Fingers crossed SanDisk send us a few of these before general release but if not I for one am hoping that its the early end of October and not the later.

Posted by: John

O2 XDA Zest makes appearance

OK so I cant tell you a great deal about this device, not because I have been sworn to secrecy by Asus or O2 but simply because I don’t actually have any information to give you.

o2 XDA Zest

The XDA Zest has appeared today on the O2 Coming Soon page saying:

This mobile phone will give you great access to functionality with a large screen, Wi-Fi, AGPS, and 3G. You also get a 5 Megapixel camera with 4GB built-in memory with expandable memory as well as quad band reach.

The only other thing we know for sure is that the device will be Windows Mobile based and that it’s not the rumoured Glaxy7 device.

Manufactured by Asus for o2 as and suggested to be a direct competitor to the Samsung Omnia, the Zest is expected sometime in November with a yet unknown price tag.

Posted by: John