Posts in Mobile Phones
HSDPA-enabled RAZR V3xx makes Singapore debut
Reuben Lee | Jan 12, 2007
Motorola's latest addition to its popular RAZR clamshell lineup is also the company's first and thinnest to feature High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) connectivity. Available from today, the V3xx will retail at S$628 (US$441.38) for just the handset alone.
The new RAZR shares a pretty much similar feature set and design as its predecessor, the RAZR V3i. It comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera, integrated music player, Bluetooth connectivity and microSD card expansion slot. The V3xx, however, sports a thicker 14.9mm frame and comes with stereo Bluetooth support as well as video calling capability.
Nokia, Visa turn phones into digital wallets
Reuben Lee | Jan 12, 2007
Credit card giant Visa and Finnish mobile maker Nokia have signed a deal to launch a worldwide system that will turn mobile phones into digital wallets for making electronic payment. All that customers need do is swipe the handset over a scanner, which will communicate with the embedded chip in the phone. Pressing a button on the mobile is the next step to confirm the purchase.
The new payment service, which has been trialed in the US and Malaysia, will also offer mobile coupons, account management, remote payments and person-to-person payment. A near field communication (NFC) chip, currently used in many public transport access cards, will be hidden under the phone casing to communicate with the reader. (Note: Image shown is just for illustration purposes)
Too early for Skype on cell phones?
Reuben Lee | Jan 12, 2007
Skype's chief of Hardware and Software Business Development, Eric Lagier, said in a recent interview at CES that it's not time yet to introduce its Internet telephone service on mobile phones. This is mostly due to the lack of affordable flat-rate packages for wireless broadband from telecom network operators.
Lagier added that "we don't want to be in a situation where we say 'Skype is free', and then at the end of the month the user gets this huge broadband bill."
The company recently unveiled a version of Skype on a Nokia phone running on a 3G network owned by wireless operator 3, fuelling expectations among industry observers that it would be introduced soon on more handsets.
Apple set to launch iPhone in Asia in 2008
Reuben Lee | Jan 10, 2007
Apple's much-anticipated iPhone, which was finally announced at Steve Job's keynote during the Macworld conference, will make its debut in Asia in 2008. According to Jobs, the iPhone will be first launched in the US this coming June and later in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2007.
The iPhone is expected to retail (with contract) for US$499 for the 4GB version and US$599 for the 8GB model. Apple aims to sell 10 million iPhone units (or approximately 1 percent of the global phone market sales) in 2008.
Touted as a breakthrough Internet communications device, the iPhone is essential a smart phone that runs on OS X. It will feature a large 160 pixels-per-inch screen with only one button in front. Users can input data by using the company's patented "multi-touch" technology which Jobs claims will be far more accurate than any pointing device that's shipped.
The iPhone is a quadband GSM/GPRS handset with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It measures just 11.6mm thin, making it slimmer than the Moto Q and Dopod C720W. Also onboard are a 2-megapixel camera, 3.5mm audio jack and wake/sleep switch.
When you bring your face to the iPhone, a built-in proximity sensor detects your face and turns off the iPod and turns on the phone. Meanwhile, an ambient light sensor adjusts the illumination based on the available light in the surrounding environment.
Sony's Memory Stick PRO Duo hits 8GB
Damian Koh | Jan 08, 2007
While we're all still waiting for the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Sony has gone ahead to announce the 8GB version of the PRO Duo at this year's CES.
| Editors' note:
According to Sony Singapore, the 8GB Memory Stick DUO Pro will be available from February in Asia.
|
Users can expect to store 3,000 10-megapixel images in standard mode; more than 19 hours of video at 768Kb per second in MPEG-4 compression; and approximately 2,000 songs in MP3 format at 128kbps at an average of 4 minutes per song, according to Sony.
This 8GB card will be compatible with all Sony Cyber-shots, Handycams and VAIOs launched this year, as well as the Alpha 100 dSLR. Older VAIO products, PlayStation Portables (system software version 2.81 and later) and the Memory Stick Video Recorders will, however, require a software update.
The flash media will be available in the US come February, while the rest of us in Asia may have to wait a little longer.
Click here for more CES related stories.
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