Rumors of Dell handhelds resurface

Here's another one coming from the Digitimes camp.

If its sources are to be believed, Dell reportedly has "plans to resume its handheld device business". We're not sure how reliable this is since there was a similar rumor going around in April last year.

A Dell representative whom we spoke to yesterday flatly denied that the US manufacturer has any plans to revive its handset business and zero intentions to buy over Motorola. Ouch.

But what's different from the previous rumor is that Foxconn will purportedly be the one producing the Windows Mobile handhelds for Dell, instead of Quanta.

Well, it's been almost a year since the last hearsay, and we're pretty sure we can wait just a little longer for Dell to surprise us, or not.

Via Engadget

Fancy YouTube on your WM device?

Support for Flash videos has been pretty disappointing on mobile devices. This is because Adobe's support is not at the same level as on the desktop, so Flash sites on your PC browser don't look exactly the same as on your mobile phone. Flash Lite for mobile devices has been around for a while, but only the latest version 3 supports FLV, the most popular format for video streaming on the Internet, including everyone's favorite video site, YouTube. Though this version was announced more than a year back, it hasn't found its way into any device that's commercially available now.

Today, Adobe announced that Microsoft has licensed the Flash Lite 3.x plug-in for Internet Explorer Mobile. According to its press release, this will be available to manufacturers that license the Windows Mobile software worldwide. It doesn't say when the first WM devices with this plug-in will be available. But we do know that Flash Lite 3 has already been announced for four Symbian-based Nokia phones (those announced during the Mobile World Congress 2008), and that these will be in the market in Q2. These should give a good indication of what Flash Lite 3.x can do.

For those who don't want to wait, there are ways to get around the "can't play Flash" scourge for your Windows Mobile handhelds. These methods aren't elegant, but they'll get you your YouTube fix on-the-go. Perfect for showing your friends that hilarious "Ken Lee" video when outdoors without a computer. If you want the specifics, remember, Google is your friend.

Via One More Thing (CNET News.com)

HTC driver issue is LG's, too

HTC was recently embroiled in an online protest because some users discovered that some of its newer PDA-phones like the TyTN II did not perform as well graphically as a few older models which have slower processors. Users were miffed to find out that graphic acceleration was not enabled with the relevant drivers even though the Qualcomm processor used had ATI technology built into it.

After much back and forth from the users and HTC, an interview posted on Engadget revealed that HTC will not release these drivers for the current crop of Windows Mobile 6 devices. Well, today, we had a chat with someone from LG during the Singapore launch of the KS20, and guess what? HTC is not alone.
Read more »

LG's next-gen Win Mobile device to be out year-end

This was what an LG representative revealed in an aside to CNET Asia recently. While the press launch in Singapore today was for the KS20 PDA-phone (shown in the picture), he told us that the Korean company will be rolling out a new PDA-phone with an updated OS expected out end 2008 to early 2009. Our best bet is that it will be running on the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, though there's no ruling out the possibility of Windows Mobile 7 by then, either. Guess we will find out soon enough near launch time.

Meanwhile, the KS20, LG's first GSM-based Windows Mobile 6 PDA-phone, is one of the most compact and slimmest in its category. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the company's Prada phone, the KS20 is likely to appeal to the more fashionable crowd. Key features include HSDPA, Wi-Fi, a 2.8-inch touchscreen and A2DP Bluetooth stereo.

The KS20, which will retail for S$888 (US$584.21) in the island state, has already launched in Hong Kong and Europe. It is expected to roll out in Taiwan later this week, followed by other Asia-Pacific markets in the coming months. It may be LG's first Windows Mobile-based PDA-phone for the GSM markets in Asia, but it's not a first for the chaebol. According to a representative, LG has to date introduced over 10 Windows Mobile-based smart phones and PDA-phones for the Korean CDMA market.

i-mate hits the operators in Singapore

The i-mate Ultimate range of PDA-phones started to go on sale in Singapore during last week's IT Show. We commented that those waiting for an operator discount would have to wait further because it seemed then that the device would be sold only at retail shops. Well, we didn't have to wait long as the Dubai-based company has announced that it has tied up deals with operators StarHub and M1 to make two models of its range available through them.

With M1, i-mate will be offering its top-of-the-line model, the Ultimate 9502. While with StarHub, the 8502 will be available, another Windows Mobile PDA-phone with a form factor similar to the Treo and BlackBerry devices.

Some of you may be asking: "What's the big deal? Why is this considered news?"
Read more »

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