Posts in Handhelds

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Staying connected while overseas

Darius Chang | May 22, 2009

For frequent travelers, getting online to retrieve emails or surf the Web can be a trying experience. Granted you can search for free wireless hotspots or Internet cafes, but as a tourist finding these places can be challenging, especially if you like traveling to remote places.

One solution is to purchase a prepaid mobile broadband card from a local telco. Though more expensive than a monthly subscription, the advantage of the prepaid system is that for short trips you do not need to spend a bomb on a roaming plan.
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Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones, Notebooks
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Value is measured not just by price

John Chan | May 22, 2009

Entry-level dSLRs are all the rage these days. Just this week, Sony announced three new models, closely following Canon and Nikon's recent product announcements that target the same audience. Yesterday, Gartner released a report which told us that smartphone sales are going up even though total global mobile phone shipments have dipped.

Now, dSLRs are more expensive than regular point-and-shoots, while smartphones traditionally cost more than regular handsets. It seems odd that these products are flourishing when we are supposed to be in a recession. But if you think about it carefully, it makes perfect sense.
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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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Why every manufacturer is making smartphones

John Chan | May 21, 2009

It has been talked about for months, that the smartphone market is starting to grow in importance compared with regular mobile phones. Well, Gartner has the figures to back those claims now. According to the number of devices shipped in the first quarter of 2009, worldwide mobile phone sales dipped by 9.4 percent compared with 2008 figures, and smartphone sales grew 12.7 percent in the same period.

According to the same study, Apple is in third position for smartphone sales with about 4 million units of iPhone sold in Q1. This is almost double that of the next manufacturer in line, HTC. With the number of models the Taiwan company makes, it seems surprising that HTC would sell only half as many phones as Apple. But take note that these figures do not account for products that aren't HTC-branded, which means smartphones renamed by operators and ODM products that HTC makes for other phone brands aren't factored in.

An earlier report about Sony Ericsson revealed that the CEO attributed part of his company's decline to its lack of focus on the smartphone category. The statistics mirror that statement, and it looks like the trend will continue in this direction given the nature of products we have seen announced this year. Are you one of those who switched from a regular mobile phone to a smartphone this year? Share your thoughts in Talkback below.

(Source: Gartner)

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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Palm Pre to arrive June 6 for US$200

Bonnie Cha | May 20, 2009

Sprint Nextel and Palm announced on Tuesday an official release date and pricing for the Palm Pre.

The Pre will be available nationwide on June 6 for US$199.99 after a US$100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract on Sprint's Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan. In addition to Sprint stores, the Pre will be sold online and at Best Buy, RadioShack, and some Wal-Mart Stores.

Accessories for Palm's webOS-based smartphone will also be available June 6, including the Touchstone Charging Kit (Touchstone dock and Touchstone back cover), which will retail for US$69.99. Alternatively, you can buy the dock and back cover separately for US$49.99 and US$19.99, respectively. (A regular charger will be included in the sales package.) The Pre will provide access to such Sprint content as Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile Live.

Interestingly, the release date is a Saturday, which in some ways is a good move since it allows for weekend sales. Making the Pre available at other retailers is also a nice move. However, June 6 is two days before the start of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where we'll most likely see a new iPhone announcement. Currently, the 8GB iPhone 3G goes for US$199 with a two-year contract and AT&T offers a range of voice and text messaging plans on top of the required US$30 a month data plan.

That said, I'm curious: Will you wait to hear about the new iPhone before making a purchase? What do you think about the Pre's pricing? Are you like me and just happy to finally know the price and release date? Please share your thoughts.

Editors' note:

The Palm Pre is a CDMA-only device and will be sold exclusively by mobile operator Sprint in the US. According to earlier reports, a GSM/HSDPA-version is forthcoming but the company has not revealed details.

Via CNET Crave

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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Widgets galore on upcoming HTC Hero

John Chan | May 20, 2009

Being able to install custom widgets is one of the most significant improvements Android 1.5 has over its predecessor. These let you put handy items on your Home screen so you don't have to call up an application or the settings page to perform frequently performed tasks like checking the time and toggling wireless radios. There are already quite a number of widgets available on the Android Market, but HTC looks like it's taking things a step further if this video is any indication. From the same source as the leaked HTC Hero firmware video we highlighted yesterday is another clip that shows a heavily modified Android Home screen and a host of the Taiwan manufacturer's own widgets.
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