New ASUS PDA-phone in the works?

An image of an ASUS device was posted on a Chinese-language discussion forum, rumored to be a new product meant to rival the Samsung Omnia. Details are sketchy at the moment, with even the name of this product up in the air. WMExperts reckons it's called the Glaxy7, while a link to the Global Certification Forum shows that it might be named the Xda Zest instead, which would mean O2 will sell it in Europe.

This handheld is speculated to have a WVGA display, but we feel the image doesn't seem to show that. It's all guesswork for now till ASUS decides to make an announcement. Check back with us as more information becomes available.

Via Geekonomics

Vertu phones dripping in jewels mark a big birthday

To celebrate its 150th anniversary, House of Boucheron, the posh French creator of jewelry, watches, and fragrances, is sharing the swankness with a set of Vertu bejeweled cell phones bearing names such as Magic, Audacious, Curious, and Voluptuous.

The Dangerous model (aptly named, as you wouldn't want to whip this one out on the Metro), for example, is a pink-gold phone with paved cabochon, white and yellow diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.

Maybe the fact that the cell phone charms are detachable and can also be worn as pendants or dangled as glittery hypnosis tools will help justify the cost. (Prices for the phones aren't listed on the Boucheron site--a fair clue that they could approach past Vertu models, ranging from US$5,000 to US$310,000.)

In other Vertu news, luxury-spotting blog Sybarite reports that the high-end British-based subsidiary of Nokia has finally unveiled its updated Signature phone six years after the release of the original.
Read more »

Cyclist's speaker does music and mobile

I'm not sure how well this works, but it sounds like a great idea.

A new company called CyFi is selling a clip-on, wireless speaker for bikes that is about the size of a deck of cards.

The speaker offers "CD audio quality", according to company claims. It can also receive audio commands for cell phones supporting handsfree dialing.

If you're like me, you like listening to music or a podcast while exercising outdoors, but feel unsafe wearing earbuds that block out life noise. It's hard enough to hear a regular car coming 'round the bend with headphones in. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been hit by a Prius.

I've seen many joggers and bikers doing the one earbud in and one earbud dangling routine.

It makes sense then, that someone would try to come up with a solution. Enter CyFi, which was invented by Jeff Lotman, an avid cyclist.

"Music makes biking more fun. It enhances the experience and motivates you to push harder," Lotman says on his site.
Read more »

Apple engineers working on ARM-based CPUs for iPhone

Future iPhone processors may be designed exclusively by Apple's new P.A. Semi team of engineers.
(Credit: CNET)

The magic of social networking has confirmed that Apple plans to make its own ARM-based processors for future versions of the iPhone.

The New York Times spotted the LinkedIn profile of Wei-han Lien, Apple's senior manager of CPU development, over the weekend. Lien's job description, according to his profile, involves managing the ARM CPU design team for Apple, an extension of his previous work at P.A. Semi.

It's been pretty clear for a while that Apple bought P.A. Semi earlier this year to work on developing its own chips for the iPhone, but as the Times points out, Apple has never specifically said that it planned to make CPUs: Many different chips inside a modern smart phone use a processor based on one of ARM's cores.

However, CEO Steve Jobs did say that Apple was planning to have the engineers make "system-on-chips" for the iPhone, which implies they were tackling the whole package, CPU included. Another solid hint was the disappointment expressed by Intel's Pat Gelsinger over missing out on the design win for the next-generation iPhone, as well as Apple's apparent decision to secure an architectural license for the ARM core.

Via "One More Thing" blog on CNET News

National Geographic to launch mobile Web site

A few days before CTIA Fall 2008 began, the National Geographic Society announced a new effort to bring its content to mobile devices. The society will launch a WAP site next month that will offer photos, animal ringtones, articles from National Geographic magazine, and video from the society's television shows. Though exact content and the URL are still under development, mobile division vice president Aaron Kohn said that there also will be an online "green" guide with tips on eco-friendly products and shopping for sustainable fish.

Kohn confirmed that National Geographic is not looking to form an MVNO, but he said that the society is in talks with carriers and manufacturers to bring National Geographic branding to new handsets. That's good news considering our disappointment with the Cellular Abroad's National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone. What's more, he said an National Geographic app for the iPhone is in the works.

At launch, all content on the WAP site will be free. Next year, however, the society plans to introduce paid content.

Via Crave CNET

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