VTech has a little fun with home phones

VTech may be one of the most overachieving phone makers in the land-line business. Rather than just lie down and let mobile handsets invade the home, the Hong Kong-based company has continually pushed the envelope by developing computer-like functions for its products, ranging from online news feeds to instant messaging. (We think they may be overcompensating because of their reputation as a toy maker, but that's no crime.)

In fact, it was nice to seem them lighten up a bit with the latest version of their DECT 6.0 home phones. The LS6117 sports a look that was "inspired by skateboard and snowboard designs", according to 7Gadgets, though consumers can also create their own styles on VTech's Web site.

We knew that the company's toy-making background would come in handy at some point.

Via Crave CNET

Watch 14 hours of movies with Sony's tiny fuel cell

Granted it's still in prototype stage, but Sony's latest micro-sized hybrid fuel cell nevertheless offers a sneak peek at what to expect of batteries in mobile devices in the coming years. The tiny fuel cell measures a handy 50 x 30mm, thanks to its combination of a Lithium-polymer battery, fuel cell and control circuit, with methanol as the fuel. A pump regulates the fuel supply to cater to the device's power needs.

According to the Japanese company, 10ml of methanol can provide almost 14 hours of 1seg TV viewing on mobile phones, which is pretty impressive for such a small fuel cell unit. 1seg is a digital audio-video broadcasting technology used for mobile devices such as cell phones and the PlayStation Portable in Japan.

But given how slowly fuel cell-powered devices are trickling into the market, we reckon it'll be some time before a commercial version of Sony's hybrid fuel cell is even introduced.

Via TechOn Nikkei
Photo credit: TechOn Nikkei

HTC Diamond images leaked

As we mentioned earlier, the frequency of rumors is set to rise as HTC's May 6 event in Europe draws near. So it comes as little surprise that pictures of the new HTC Diamond have been leaked.

Italian site NewsMobile has digital renderings of the manufacturer's new handheld from every angle. The back of the device has a geometrical pattern not unlike the Nokia Prism. Like many of the other HTC PDA-phones, the images suggest it comes with only one connector, a mini-USB port for charging, syncing and connecting a wired headset. Rumored specifications indicate that the diamond will have 4GB internal storage, 128MB RAM and a 528MHz Qualcomm processor. We are also expecting a new version of HTC's TouchFLO application.

Just one more day (two, if you consider the time difference) before all is revealed, so hang in there as we bring you the full story then.

Via Brighthand

Online music: Same tunes in a different package

Can you recall the last time you actually paid for music on your mobile phone? If you even need a second to think about this, you are not alone. The digital music market is hardly new and people have been downloading and sharing music for ages. Music sales online and via mobile channels were worth an estimated US$2.9 billion in 2007, according to IFPI which represents the recording industry worldwide.

Some other interesting statistics were also released in the recent Digital Music Report for 2008. There are more than 500 legitimate digital music services worldwide with over 6 million tracks collectively and the ratio of unlicensed tracks downloaded to legal tracks sold is about 20:1. Online sales account for 67 percent of the digital market in the US, while over 90-percent of Japan's digital sales are on the mobile platform. The report also highlighted that China has huge potential, but is largely held back by rampant piracy and poor returns to rights owners.

Last week, Nokia launched its second online music store in the APAC, offering a-la-carte downloads and a buffet-style jukebox service on the PC. A Time magazine article said that LG will be launching a service similar to Nokia's Comes With Music this mid-year. iTunes, on the other hand, is already available in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Numerous online music service models are sprouting up and consumers are getting more choices than they ever had. However, the biggest hurdle the record labels and phone makers now have to overcome is getting the price model right for their music (and dropping DRM). Each track on the Nokia music store in Singapore costs S$2 (US$1.47), while iTunes Australia offers a single song at A$1.69 (US$1.59). Compare this to US$0.99 per tune on iTunes in the US, and you wonder why the difference is so great. The question is, how much would you pay to own the music? Or would you rather IM your buddy to ask if he has the song?

Picture credit: Sony Ericsson

BenQ announces C36 music-phone

We are not sure if it is a sign of better times since BenQ has been steadily adding new handsets to its mobile phone lineup. At the Mobile World Congress in February, the Taiwanese company showcased its first NFC-enabled Windows Mobile 6 smart phone--the T80. Shortly after in March, the ultra-slim T60 candybar phone was unveiled. Latest in the company's portfolio is the C36 music-phone. Sure, its features are rather humdrum, including a 1.3-megapixel camera that supports AVI video recording and doubles as a Web cam, 2-inch LCD and FM radio, but it's better than lying low for months at a stretch. The C36 is expected to debut in Indonesia this month with other countries' availability still pending.

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