i-mate finally sets up shop

With all the anticipation for the Ultimate series of WM6 (Windows Mobile 6) PDA-phones, and i-mate having no products to show for outside of tradeshows, we were wondering if this was another case of vaporware. Well, we can put those fears to rest now as the Dubai-based company has officially set up shop in the region with its headquarters in Singapore.

Aside from announcing its new operations, i-mate also revealed which of its new products will be making their way to this region. The new devices were first showcased in the US during CITA and includes four in the Ultimate series and three in the JAMA line. Read on for pricing and availability information.
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New site for Xda handhelds

You may have heard that O2 has sold its device business in Asia to the management. A new company has been formed with the name Mobile and Wireless Group (MWG) and is still led by O2 Asia Pacific CEO Mark Billington. Though the announcement may have come suddenly, the new company has wasted no time in putting up its Web site, www.mwg.com.

Most of the site is the same as the old O2 Asia Pacific site, with information about products, support matters and FAQs. But the content is not exactly a carbon copy, and two differences particularly stand out.
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HTC's 3.5G Touch Dual hits stores end-month

Those who have been holding out from buying an HTC Touch for lack of 3G and HSDPA connectivity can soon get their hands on the Touch Dual. The company today announced that it will be selling the PDA-phone through Singapore operator SingTel from the end of November with a retail price of S$1,098 before rebates.

Like the original Touch, the Touch Dual comes with HTC's TouchFLO software. This uses finger swiping actions to perform tasks like scrolling through long lists and access commonly used programs quickly. The version found in the Touch Dual has been enhanced to include actions used to manipulate photos in the gallery as well as to flip through email messages quickly. Unlike the Touch though, the Dual does not come with Wi-Fi connectivity.

HTC said the original Touch will still be in stores even with the Touch Dual made available. For those who are not with SingTel, this device will also be sold without operator plans at mobile phone shops. In Asia Pacific outside of Singapore, the Touch Dual will be launched progressively before the end of the year.

Samsung SGH-i780--oodles of RAM

A month ago, we mentioned the Samsung SGH-i780 handheld, a WM6 (Windows Mobile 6) Professional device which looks very much like the SGH-i600 with a touchscreen. What little we knew about it was gathered from netizens who attended a tradeshow in the Middle East. Well, Samsung has now officially taken the wraps off the specs, and here they are.

• HSDPA (up to 3.6Mbps) and 3G
• Triband GSM with EDGE
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0
• 2.55-inch 320 x 320 16-bit display
• 256MB RAM / 2GB ROM
• 115.9 x 61.3 x 12.9mm
• 120g

The feature that strikes me the most is the inordinate amount of RAM, 256MB of it. Most WM6 devices are still running on 64MB, with a few high-end ones equipped with 128MB. Having 256MB of RAM will be phenomenal for the performance of the i780 as it means that more applications can be running at once without slowdown. This will surely take a toll on the battery life, so I wonder what measures Samsung has taken to counter that.

At this point, I'm still rubbing my eyes a little, checking and double-checking the spec sheet given to me by Samsung to see if I've read it wrong. I'm going to believe it for now, and hope no one from the Korean company calls me to correct this post. The i780 will be available in Asia Pacific in Q1 2008. Its price is yet to be confirmed.

To the Mapmobile!

If there was ever a comic book hero named Mapman, this would be his ride. Tele Atlas, a map content company out of Netherlands, is the owner of this orange van and the equipment attached to it. What it does is to create maps of the roads it plies using a potpourri of location capture devices.

Attached on the top of this van are four cameras which capture three images per second, per camera. The van can be configured with up to eight cameras depending on the landscape it is mapping, making it possible to capture 24 images per second when needed. Working together with that are laser scanners that help to determine the outline of buildings. This allows Tele Atlas to make 3D models of the environment for its 3D navigation maps. These are just some of the technologies employed to perfect the maps. Check out our photo gallery to see more of what's in and on Tele Atlas' mapping van.
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