Posts in Handhelds
Move over T9, here comes Swype
Rafe Needleman | Sep 10, 2008
The inventor of the T9 keyboard technology for numeric keypads, Cliff Kushler, is back in the game with a new alphanumeric entry technology for today's devices: Touchscreen laptops and smart phones. His new technology, Swype, is quite simple to use, although beneath the user interface there's a lot going on.
Swype works with an onscreen QWERTY keyboard like you have on the tablet version of Windows and on the iPhone. But instead of tapping letters out, you press your finger or stylus on the first letter, then, without lifting it, move it to the remaining letters in the word. When the word is done, then you lift.
We tried it. It works. Even on tiny smart phone keyboards, it is intuitive and fast, and we didn't even run the tutorial. Basically, it's an amazing new input method.
Read more »
ASUS announces the P552w
John Chan | Sep 09, 2008
The last we heard from ASUS regarding its line of PDA-phones was the cancellation of a whole bunch of products, including the Lamborghini-branded ZX1. The company told us at the time that it doesn't plan to exit this business and will announce something in September. Well, here it is, the P552w, complete with ASUS' new user interface (UI) called Glide.
This new PDA-phone has no physical keypad and, according to its specifications, seems to be quite compact, putting it in the same category as the HTC Touch Diamond. Its modified UI also seems to be a response to HTC's TouchFLO and TouchFLO 3D technology.
The P552w comes with all the features you would expect from a high-end Windows Mobile 6.1 phone, including HSDPA connectivity, built-in GPS and a fast 624MHz processor. Regrettably, we noticed that the display has a resolution of 320 x 240, one-quarter the number of pixels present on the HTC Touch Diamond. This product will be available in Singapore from October. Aside from that bit of information, we currently do not have details regarding its wider Asia availability and pricing.
Which is your favorite mobile Web browser?
Damian Koh | Sep 08, 2008
Unlike regular desktop browsers, surfing the Web on a mobile device can be a vastly different experience. Often, the content has to be scaled to cater to the smaller screens and lower memory capacity of handhelds. That was then. Mobile browsers these days are capable of displaying full HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
I have been using the Nokia Mini Map browser based on WebKit for a long time and it was one of my favorites, until I tried the Safari client on the Apple iPhone 3G. This is coming from someone who has never been a fan of touchscreen devices.
My preferences aside, there are other mobile browsers currently available. Research in Motion has its proprietary browser for its BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile devices by default come with Internet Explorer Mobile. I am also sure there is a pretty huge user base for Opera Mini out there, too.
So which do you think is the best mobile browser out there? Share your thoughts with us.
Chrome + Android: Give us your best shot
Damian Koh | Sep 05, 2008
If you have been following us, you'd know that Chrome in Android is a very real possibility. And the company co-founder Sergey Brin expects the technology will make its way to Android, though not necessary in the first version of the mobile operating system.
"My guess is we'll have 'Chrome-like' or something similar", Brin said.
Now give us your best shot for a new name. Androm? Chromadroid?
Via CNET News
Sony Ericsson opens up X1 panel interface
John Chan | Sep 03, 2008
Aside from all the high-end product specifications like a WVGA (800 x 480) display and HSDPA connectivity, the other thing that sets the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 apart is the panel interface. These are customizable Home screens that can be called up at a button press and are supposed to make the X1 more user-friendly.
So far, we have seen some samples on a prototype unit including a spruced-up Today screen and one with three fish that respond to touch, both created by Sony Ericsson to show off the feature. We've also had a go at a simple one done by Google. But from today, any developer who wants to create a panel will be able to do so as the company has released a software development kit (SDK) for it.
Will it catch on? Well, it's going to be tough. After all, the X1 is just one device in a world where there are hundreds of different Windows Mobile handhelds. It doesn't make sense for a software company or independent developer to code for one model unless it's something incredibly high-profile like the iPhone. Anyway, we'll see how this pans out. You never know, Sony Ericsson could become the dominant Windows Mobile device vendor in a couple of years and this customizable panel interface thing could become relevant then.
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