Posts in Mobile Phones

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HTC's 3.5G Touch Dual hits stores end-month

John Chan | Nov 05, 2007

Those who have been holding out from buying an HTC Touch for lack of 3G and HSDPA connectivity can soon get their hands on the Touch Dual. The company today announced that it will be selling the PDA-phone through Singapore operator SingTel from the end of November with a retail price of S$1,098 before rebates.

Like the original Touch, the Touch Dual comes with HTC's TouchFLO software. This uses finger swiping actions to perform tasks like scrolling through long lists and access commonly used programs quickly. The version found in the Touch Dual has been enhanced to include actions used to manipulate photos in the gallery as well as to flip through email messages quickly. Unlike the Touch though, the Dual does not come with Wi-Fi connectivity.

HTC said the original Touch will still be in stores even with the Touch Dual made available. For those who are not with SingTel, this device will also be sold without operator plans at mobile phone shops. In Asia Pacific outside of Singapore, the Touch Dual will be launched progressively before the end of the year.

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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Samsung SGH-i780--oodles of RAM

John Chan | Nov 02, 2007

A month ago, we mentioned the Samsung SGH-i780 handheld, a WM6 (Windows Mobile 6) Professional device which looks very much like the SGH-i600 with a touchscreen. What little we knew about it was gathered from netizens who attended a tradeshow in the Middle East. Well, Samsung has now officially taken the wraps off the specs, and here they are.

HSDPA (up to 3.6Mbps) and 3G
Triband GSM with EDGE
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0
2.55-inch 320 x 320 16-bit display
256MB RAM / 2GB ROM
115.9 x 61.3 x 12.9mm
120g

The feature that strikes me the most is the inordinate amount of RAM, 256MB of it. Most WM6 devices are still running on 64MB, with a few high-end ones equipped with 128MB. Having 256MB of RAM will be phenomenal for the performance of the i780 as it means that more applications can be running at once without slowdown. This will surely take a toll on the battery life, so I wonder what measures Samsung has taken to counter that.

At this point, I'm still rubbing my eyes a little, checking and double-checking the spec sheet given to me by Samsung to see if I've read it wrong. I'm going to believe it for now, and hope no one from the Korean company calls me to correct this post. The i780 will be available in Asia Pacific in Q1 2008. Its price is yet to be confirmed.

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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To the Mapmobile!

John Chan | Nov 01, 2007

If there was ever a comic book hero named Mapman, this would be his ride. Tele Atlas, a map content company out of Netherlands, is the owner of this orange van and the equipment attached to it. What it does is to create maps of the roads it plies using a potpourri of location capture devices.

Attached on the top of this van are four cameras which capture three images per second, per camera. The van can be configured with up to eight cameras depending on the landscape it is mapping, making it possible to capture 24 images per second when needed. Working together with that are laser scanners that help to determine the outline of buildings. This allows Tele Atlas to make 3D models of the environment for its 3D navigation maps. These are just some of the technologies employed to perfect the maps. Check out our photo gallery to see more of what's in and on Tele Atlas' mapping van.
Read more »

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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Samsung's 5-megapixel phone debuts in November

Reuben Lee | Nov 01, 2007

Samsung's 5-megapixel phone debuts in November The 5-megapixel camera-phone craze has finally caught on with Samsung as it prepares to launch its SGH-G600 slider for the year-end holiday season this November. While we have seen higher-resolution camera-phones such as the 10-megapixel SCH-B600 from the Korean chaebol, the G600 marks the first time the company is launching a 5-megapixel GSM cellular offering in our part of the world.

The G600 is, however, not alone in the 5-megapixel camera-phone space. Among its main competitors are the recently launched Nokia N95 (8GB) and Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot. Based on the specifications given, our impression is that the G600 is possibly the least feature-rich of the trio, but it makes up with a slim 14.9mm profile and a sub-S$700 sticker price (without contract). According to Samsung Singapore, the higher-spec'd G800, which comes with Xenon flash, HSDPA and optical zoom, will be available only in 2008.

At the recent launch event held in Singapore, Samsung also showcased three music-oriented handsets. The SGH-F330 is a slim HSDPA slider expected in December. The SGH-F210 comes with 1GB onboard expandable memory and music recognition function, while the SGH-F200 offers a unique flick-and-swivel form factor. The latter two handsets are available now.

Read our full coverage here.

Filed under: Mobile Phones
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SanDisk introduces 8GB microSDHC and M2 cards

Reuben Lee | Nov 01, 2007

Imagine putting all 2,000 of your favorite MP3 songs into a memory card no larger than the size of your fingernail. Well, a few years ago, that would have been a tall order, particularly since the CompactFlash media was the only one with storage capacities above 4GB. However, today, with the launch of SanDisk's 8GB microSDHC and M2 ( a.k.a. Memory Stick Micro) cards, it's no longer an impossible task.

Widely considered as two of the world's smallest flash memory formats available today, microSD and M2 cards are most commonly used in handheld devices such as mobile and smart phones. The availability of card adapters, which convert the microSD or M2 cards into other larger flash memory formats (such as Memory Stick Duo and SD card), has also enabled the tiny cards to be used more widely in other devices as well.

According to SanDisk's press release, the 8GB M2 card is now available in stores for S$199 (US$143.01), while the 8GB microSDHC media is priced slightly more competitively at S$180 (US$129.36). But before you invest in the latest 8GB microSDHC and M2 cards, do note that not all devices will work with them. The microSDHC card, for instance, will work only in devices that support the SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) format. The M2 card, on the other hand, is expected to work with all devices, but we'd advise checking with your device manufacturer to ensure compatibility.