Posts in Mobile Phones
Cell-iPod "Mobile Me" combo appears likely
ZDNet staff | Jan 18, 2006
It appears quite likely that Apple is getting ready to release a cellular-enabled iPod. Either that, or an iPod-enabled cell phone. If not, then why did Apple, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Ryan Kim, file four trademark applications earlier this month, covering such terms as "digital music", "cellular" and "communications"?
In a blog posted on ZDNet by Russell Shaw, he notes that the four trademark applications in question are Word Marks Apple has filed for the term "Mobile Me".
Additionally, Shaw notes that lots of people are speculating. Albert Lin and Shaw Wu of American Technology Research think an iTunes phone in the mold of the Motorola ROKR could be in the offing. So could a cellular-enabled iPod where Apple would act as a cellular reseller, buying bulk minutes from an established carrier and then reselling them to users.
With such technology, iPod users could download tunes over the air, from the iTunes store. That would mean an iPod phone would need to have enough browsing functionality to process secure micropayments.
Shaw adds that not everyone agrees Apple is necessarily headed toward making itself a cell phone reseller. Julie Ask, senior analyst for Jupiter Research, told the Chron's Kim that "Apple sells hardware and software. They don't have an existing subscriber base like cable companies, and they don't have content like ESPN that people have an affinity to."
But what if Apple were to launch streaming music channels that an iPod cell phone could offer access to? Now that would be the crunch.
Charge of the Bluetooth-ready headsets
CNET.com staff | Jan 11, 2006
Motorola has unveiled the H5 Miniblue Bluetooth Headset, the teensiest Bluetooth headset the CNET team has ever seen. At only 33 x 41 millimeters, the H5 has a flanged ear tip to ensure a comfortable fit. The built-in mic apparently picks up your voice through your ear canal, which is a good thing, since the H5 doesn't have a boom mic, like a lot of other headsets. It also comes with a silver, stylish portable charging base and will be available the first half of this year.
In addition to its Miniblue, Motorola also showed off other tiny headsets at CES. The design of the new Motorola H700 is similar to the Motorola HS850's but is 30 percent smaller, and you can turn the device on and off simply by flipping the boom mic. The H3 Bluetooth headset, designed specifically to complement the Motorola Razr V3, features a sleek design that mimics the Razr's slim form factor. It has a removable ear hook and is compatible with Bluetooth 1.1- and 1.2-enabled cell phones.
Not to be outdone, Nokia also revealed three new Bluetooth headsets at the recent CES 2006: The BH-200, the BH-800, and the BH-900. While the BH-800 isn't as small as the Motorola H5 Miniblue, it still looks nice and compact atonly 1.6 x 0.7 x 0.35 inches and 0.3 ounces. There's a headset strap that lets it dangle around your neck, making it seem even more like a fashion statement. It comes in both black and silvery white. Rated talk time is 6 hours, while standby time is 160 hours. The BH-800 should be available in Q1 this year.
The other two may not be as pretty, but they're definitely functional. The BH-200 is a basic Bluetooth headset made to be easy to use, with uncomplicated controls. Rated talktime for the BH-200 is 5 hours 30 minutes, while the standby time is 150 hours. The BH-900, on the other hand, caters to business audiences, with noise-reduction and echo-cancellation technology, which means the person you're speaking to will be able to hear you even if you're in a noisy environment. The BH-900 has an extendable boom, plus it supports push-to-talk technology, depending on the phone and the network. Rated talk time for the BH-900 is 8 hours, while standby time is 180 hours. Both the BH-200 and the BH-900 will be available in Q2 this year.
W810i Walkman Phone unveiled
Juniper Foo | Jan 05, 2006
It's almost inevitable that Sony Ericsson would turn to a black version for its popular W800i Walkman Phone. Having heard some profess to an aversion to its signature orange-white hues, the Satin Black W810i should appeal to the conservative ranks as well as those who may find the W900i's bulk a tad too daunting.
What we like this round: Quadband GSM capability, EDGE (though Singapore doesn't have the network support for this), more dedicated music buttons on the front that include Skip and Track. What we don't like: The smaller 20MB internal memory, and what's with the lack of a lens cover for the camera? Sony Ericsson will still ship a 512MB Memory Stick PRO Duo card in the box.
While the Japanese company has announced at CES that it will commence shipping the W810i globally in Q1 2006, there's no indication of when exactly it will come to Singapore. No pricing details were released.
Also announced at the electronics fair in Las Vegas were two Walkman Phone accessories, the MPS-60 Portable Speakers and MDS-60 Music Desk Stand. The former will go on streets globally from Q1, while the latter is expected out in Q2.
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Moto's new ROKR sings a different tune
Juniper Foo | Jan 04, 2006
It's finally out. No surprises here that Motorola has named its successor to its debut iTunes phone E1, the E2. However, this latest musical Moto croons a very different tune from its iTunes elder. Unveiled at the Las Vegas annual Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off this Thursday, what we do know for now is that the E2 is dropping iTunes compatibility to go with MP3, WMA, AAC and RealAudio formats. This has its tradeoffs since Apple fans may look elsewhere. However, the crucial observation is that the E2 no longer has its hands tied, unlike its predecessor, to a 100-song limit (50 in the case of some Asian countries).
Instead, the E2 now sports an SD slot for up to 2GB of removable memory (vs the E1's TransFlash or miniSD media), and can now store as many as 500 tunes. Other notables include a USB 2.0 port (to the E1's USB 1.0), the ability to create and manage playlists, a 3.5 mm stereo earphone jack, an FM tuner, and Linux as an operating system which should enhance speed and flexibility.
No word on pricing, though Motorola is slating the E2 to launch in the first half of 2006.
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