Just announced are two new models from the XpressMusic lineup. The 5320 XpressMusic comes with a dedicated audio chip onboard and HSDPA connectivity, while the 5220 XpressMusic features a built-in lanyard. A built-in what, you say? Anyway, we're not sure how this looks since this is probably the first time we've hear of a phone with a lanyard that's not removable, though we suspect it's probably the eyelet Nokia is referring to. Both handsets sport dedicated music keys, 3.5mm audio jacks, deliver up to 24 hours of playback time and are expected to be available in Asia end June or July.
These days, either you contend with unglamorous spy shots taken with dubious camera-phones, or you live with leaked marketing materials that look equally bad. HTC wasn't alone over the weekend when some of its unreleased products were splashed on the Web. Motorola's roadmap for China, too, was reported by Unwired View. Among the list of devices are a 5-megapixel ZN5 camera-phone and an upgraded model of the Moto MING, which are pretty much in line with earlier rumors. Just give it to us, Moto. Anytime before next year, pretty please.
Last week, NTT DoCoMo unveiled its new corporate logo in bold red letters which, according to the company, symbolizes its "energy and dynamism". I'm all for its renewed commitment to its customers, although I can't say the same about the chosen font and color.
We've seen some corporate rebranding in recent years. Some went through major revamps, others were just evolutionary changes. An example of the latter is Palm's logo from a wordprint and name change to an orange ball emblem.
Neatorama has an interesting compilation of how some logos have evolved over the years. The article missed out Samsung, though. By the way, who still remembers the Korean chaebol's earliest logo? And does DoCoMo's new insignia remind you of someone else's? Sound off in Talkback.
The Xylo "Touch Thru" hard-shell iPhone case we wrote of earlier this week boasted that it was "the first of its kind," but we're always dubious of such claims in the hype-driven gadget universe. Sure enough, just a few days later Uncrate is featuring a similar product from Case-Mate called the "Naked Case" that goes for the same price.
Other than bearing a far more provocative name, this acrylic case appears to do the same things its rival promises--allowing touch-screen access through a clear protective cover. (Case-Mate credits its "electrostatic membrane" while the competing Xylo talks of "ultrasonic signals." Whatever.)
It's unclear which came first, but it really doesn't matter--this is already way too much time spent on the given topic. Suffice it to say that there's more than one way to protect and use your iPhone and iPod touch screen for US$35.
Samsung has developed a new kind of cell phone battery which is powered by water. And it aims to bring that to the market by 2010.
How this works is when the handset is switched on, reaction between metal and water in the phone will produce hydrogen gas. This is then channeled to the fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power.
According to Oh Yong-soo, vice president of Samsung Electronics Mechanics' research centre, the new battery could last for up to 10 hours, adding that based on four hours of use daily on average, the hydrogen cartridge will have to be replaced about every five days.
The next development would then be to eliminate the hydrogen cartridge altogether and to rely only on water. While all that sounds promising, we guess it'll be hard to convince people to adopt it en masse. After all, we've been trying to keep our phones away from water all this while.