WM6.1 Standard has threaded SMS

If you've read our review of the Palm 500v, you'd know we gave it a bit of flak for not including the famed threaded SMS feature associated with the Treo series of devices. Well, we may now know why that awful omission was commited--threaded SMS may be a default feature of WM (Windows Mobile) 6.1 Standard.

Technology blogger The Boy Genius posted 100 screenshots of a Motorola Q9 he has which comes with Wi-Fi and the new version of WM. Among its new features are threaded SMS and the ability to copy and paste text. It seems the Internet Explorer browser has also been improved. It's not a major update of the OS, but the improvements are significant enough for most users to want one.

According to another blogger on New Zealand-based Geekzone, the update for WM6 is planned for release to manufacturers in Q1 2008. We hope all manufacturers will release it quickly and for free to users of WM6 Standard devices when it becomes official. Finally then, the Treo 500v will become a true Treo--but of course, so will every other WM6 Standard smart phone.

Image credit: The Boy Genius Report

China-branded phones that almost do it all

Talk about mobile phones packed to the brim with features. If you think the Nokia N95 is impressive, wait till you check out the features you can find on some of today's China-branded handsets.

We came across several such phones at the recent SITEX fair held in Singapore and they were packed with everything from analog TV (with built-in antennas) and dual SIM card slots to DivX playback and touchscreen displays. Some of them even sported high-capacity batteries and built-in accelerometers for motion control. The best part about these phones is their price. At about S$300 a pop (without contract), they are certainly a lot more affordable than most mid- to high-end models in the current market.

But before you ditch your handset, caveat emptor (buyer beware) when getting these Chinese phones. They are mostly represented by small sales offices, which make the warranty and product support rather dubious. In Singapore, it seems these units are sold as only export sets as they do not have the approval of local authorities for use in the island state.

NEC develops Japanese-English translation software for cell phones

Be prepared to enter into a monolog with NEC's Japanese-to-English translation software for cell phones. Why? Because it's capable of translating only verbal Japanese to English text, and not the other way round. What this basically means is if you are a Japanese tourist in an English-speaking country, chances are you won't be able to understand the answer to your question even if a local managed to decipher what you are asking from your phone's screen. Sounds silly to us, but we have to give credit to NEC for solving half the equation of chicken-and-duck talk. Now we just need the company to "realize a society in which anybody can communicate with anyone else anywhere anytime", says NEC spokesman Mitsumasa Fukumoto.

Via Yahoo News
Pictured is the NEC Simpure N1

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