First impressions of the Sony Ericsson F305

Like its Sony Ericsson W910i Walkman phone with its Shake Control, the Japanese-Swede's newest gaming phone on the block, the F305, requires some pretty frenetic arm aerobics to play. So much so, it almost launched itself out of my grasp during the hands-on tour. The piano finish on the unit, generously lubricated by now from the gummy smudges of journos at the CommunicAsia fringe event, imbued the F305 with slippery eel-like powers.

Sony Ericsson could well take a page out of Nintendo Wii's book by bundling a wrist strap to avoid future awkward lawsuits. Too bad the lanyard hole sits at the top, rather than at the bottom which would have allowed some creative improv. In close slider mode, this quad-band phone phone is pretty small and flat, about palm-sized, which didn't help with grip. As a side note, the black unit had a more visible oily sheen than the white version. So if I had to go for a color, I'd gun for the latter.
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European MyGuide coming to a car near you

Never heard of the brand MyGuide? We're not surprised since the Switzerland-headquartered company is only just building up its presence here in Asia. Come August, it will be rolling out its M.i.move, M.i.motion and M.i.more personal navigation devices preloaded with local maps. These will have Microsoft Outlook contact synchronization to spare you the hassle of manually entering the destination address, while dynamic points of interest display interesting information such as the fuel price of a petrol kiosk.

Its highest-end 4338 model will also feature rich wireless connectivity and multimedia functions. These include Bluetooth to convert the device into a handsfree speaker and microphone for your mobile phone, Wi-Fi for Web browsing and onboard MP3/JPEG playback via an inbuilt SD card slot. Rounding it all up is its MyGuide Life Web page which will further sweeten the deal with a wide range of services and features. The possibilities are limitless. How about nailing that nasty speed camera along the highway or finding the hottest gourmet restaurant in town, all at a click?

As a matter of fact, you could even check out its uber-cool NavJacket. The fruit of a collaboration between O'Neil Europe and MyGuide, this integrates a full-featured GPS system complete with flexible display right into a winter jacket.

More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

Smart navigation beyond just point A to B

Taiwanese navigation specialist Mio Technology is showcasing its latest and upcoming PNDs or Personal Navigation Devices here at CommunicAsia. Scheduled for a late June launch in Singapore are the C230 and C320b, priced at S$300 (US$213.52) and S$450 (US$320.28), respectively. These car navigation systems are powered by dedicated SiRFstarIII GPS receivers and come standard with a convenient touchscreen as well as preloaded Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia maps.

For S$150 (US$106.76) more, the C320b delivers a better screen at 4.3-inch wide with a high 480 x 272-pixel resolution. It's equipped with an SD/MMC card slot for additional map data and content, plus value-added onboard MP3 playback. Come Q4/2008 to Q1/2009, the company will be releasing its flagship Moov 380 Internet-enabled equivalent. This will have quad-band mobile and GPRS connectivity to download real-time traffic alerts, weather forecasts, etc., which redefines the boundaries of conventional in-car navigation.

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More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

Bone-conducting headset goes wireless

Last year's Sound Leaf headset, which caught our eye during CommunicAsia 2007, is back this year. And it makes no bones about going Bluetooth. That is, it comes in just the one color: Blue.

Like its wired predecessor, NTT DoCoMo's Sound Leaf Plus is almost its twin in design, sans the wires. What's less visible are the tweaks, from a vibrate feature to alert the user to an incoming call to a three-step tone control for comfortable sound levels while talking. It's also a mite lighter at 45g compared with its older sibling's 52g. Not surprisingly, the tradeoff for wireless convenience is a dip in battery life, dropping to 15 hours from the original's 25-hour talktime.

The Sound Leaf series works in tandem with DoCoMo's FOMA handsets and uses bone conduction technology to deliver sound. Once plugged into the earphone/mic port of the phone, the user can talk by placing the receiver anywhere on his skull or close to the ear. This is great for the hearing impaired as well as in places where ambient noise makes it difficult to hear.

The Sound Leaf Plus runs on two AAA batteries. But like its sibling, this looks set to stay firmly on Japanese soil. Now available in Japan for ¥13,000 (US$323).

Main picture credit: Damian Koh/CNET Asia

More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

Coolpad: Dual-SIM, dual-network

For the frequent travelers, remaining contactable via mobile is serious business. Should you use roaming to remain in contact but pay exorbitant fees just to call a local number? Or switch your SIM card to a local account and risk missing important calls? Most compromise by having two phones, which frankly, is no solution at all.

Coolpad phones claim to be the first in the market with dual-SIM devices that not only work with more than one network, but can even switch between GSM and CDMA accounts without batting an eye. Currently retailing in Indonesia, China and Africa, handsets range from US$100 to US$350, with premium models going for as high as US$1,000. Granted the only drawback we've seen so far is the lack of 3.5G connectivity, but Coolpad phones will save you a bundle in roaming fees.

More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

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