Symbian looks west for future growth

Americans are ready for smart phones, but is Symbian ready for America?

One of the most important factors that will dictate the long-term success of the Symbian Foundation will be its ability to make inroads in North America, which has been a bit of a enigma to London-based Symbian and Nokia, its former controlling partner. Think about it: Symbian has the lion's share of the worldwide market for smartphone operating systems, but new Symbian Foundation executive director Lee Williams agreed that if we walked outside the Symbian Partner Event in San Francisco, we'd be hard-pressed to find a passerby familiar with the mobile operating system.

It's a new era for Symbian, as it transitions from its past as an independent software developer controlled by Nokia into an industry consortium responsible for creating an open-source mobile operating system. The Symbian Foundation plans to release its first distribution to members during the first half of 2009, and phones with the operating system should follow in 2010.
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Non-G1 Android phone to hit Australia in January

The first mobile phone running Google's Android operating system will hit Australia next month, with a company called Kogan Technologies announcing the imminent release of an Android-based handset it calls the "Agora".

The phone, which can be ordered from Kogan's Web site, will be shipped to Australian and international customers on January 29. The price to buy the standard handset has been set at A$299 (US$193.90), with a more featured version called the Agora Pro going for A$399.

Standard features of the Agora include a full QWERTY keyboard with a central navigation key, a 2.5-inch touchscreen, a microSD slot, and 3G connectivity. The Pro adds a 2MP camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and GPS navigation.

There has been no news yet as to when the other Android phone, the HTC Dream, also known as the G1, will reach Australia.

Via ZDNet Australia reported from Sydney.

Bluetooth 2.2 to be released in mid-2009

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) recently announced that it will release a new version of Bluetooth in mid-2009. Bluetooth 2.2 promises to be much faster than previous versions, allowing transfer rates at higher speeds.

According to the SIG, the new High Speed Bluetooth specification will work in conjunction with WLAN or USB for improved data rates, and will be known as Bluetooth 10x and Bluetooth 100x, respectively. It will hopefully allow for wireless video streaming, wireless printing, and more. For this to work, your cell phone will have to have WLAN or UWB radio. It's said that Bluetooth 10x will be used first, since a lot of handsets have Wi-Fi capabilities now.

Since we don't have any news of devices that will use this new Bluetooth specification, we can't tell if it delivers its promises. But once we have some compatible devices on hand, we'll try it out and let you know.

Via Crave CNET

Could nanotech create speech-powered phones?

A variety of off-grid devices use the wind, the sun, or fuel cells to power up small electronics. But what if you could charge your cell phone just by talking into it, eliminating the need for batteries or cords?

What would make this possible is piezoelectricity, in which a mechanical force is converted to electricity. Car cigarette lighters are a common example. When they're punched in, pressure on a crystal within produces voltage, creating a spark.

In principle, the pressure to power a device could come from sound vibrations.

Crafting such piezoelectric electronics would require sensors with a specific size of crystal or ceramic material. Engineers say they have taken an early step by identifying a sweet spot at which a crystal could produce energy.
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HTC focuses on phone design; acquires One & Company Design, Inc.

On Monday, HTC, the manufacturer of many of today's popular smart phones, announced its acquisition of San Francisco-based design firm One & Company Design, Inc (One & Co). A design company? Weird, right? Actually, not really.

If you've followed HTC over the years, you might have noticed its smart phones taking on a new look recently. The company has gone from the traditional Pocket PC-phone form factor of the HTC Mogul and the smaller but still bulky HTC SMT5800 to the sleeker Touch Diamond and sexier Touch Pro, and this is in large part due to One & Co, whose client list includes Adidas, Sony, K2 Snowboards, Coca-Cola, Kodak, and the North Face. (One & Co will continue to serve its current clients in addition to the consultancy work for HTC.)
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