Posts in Mobile Phones
StopThief locks or wipes phone with single text
Flora Graham | Apr 21, 2009
(Credit: Flora Graham/CNET)
It starts with that horrible sinking feeling: You've left your phone on the train. Then you realize that your company's evil plans were on that phone and you're about to be fed to the sharks with frickin' lasers strapped to their heads.
A frenzied call to your network will lock the phone for making calls and sending texts, but all of your text messages and files will stay on the mobile's memory, ripe for the plundering.
Software house UMU has had a bright idea. StopThief is an app for your Nokia Series 60 or Windows CE device that lets you lock or wipe that handset as quickly as sending a text message.
We tried StopThief on our Nokia E51, which contains the Crave plans for world domination. It was as easy to install as you can get on Symbian, and once it was up and running we had no trouble locking and wiping the handset at the speed of text.
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Forget your password? Use your phone
Elinor Mills | Apr 21, 2009
(Credit: FireID)
The FireID universal personal authenticator app turns any phone that runs Java into a one-time password generator and generates the password directly on the phone instantly so there is no risk of it being intercepted and no waiting for an SMS like with other password-generator systems, said Jenny Dugmore, chief executive of FireID.
The system also works with multiple applications and creates a unique encrypted password for each session. It identifies the app and the make and model of the phone and downloads a version of FireID that is specific for that phone rather than a generic version.
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Meet Ondo, the bendable concept music-phone
Damian Koh | Apr 20, 2009
(Credit: Pilotfish)
If the headline sounds a little far-fetched, that's because it is. The Ondo, conjured by the folks at Pilotfish, is still on the drawing board and doesn't seem like it'll make a beeline for your pocket anytime soon.
The music-phone features a flexible spine in the center of the handset that lets you bend and twist the device to edit music tracks. There are three detachable "sticks", each with its own OLED screen, flash memory, microphone and power supply. They can be clipped onto musical instruments to record audio streams, and when pieced together, form the main display for the Ondo.
Like the Onyx concept which picked a red dot design award nod with its dynamic full touch user interface three years ago (Pilotfish had a hand in that as well), this half-phone, half-DJ turntable concept is a headturner. But it'll remain vaporware until some manufacturer decides to make the Ondo a reality. More details in our interview with the designer for the Ondo here.
Windows Mobile 6.5 details coming in May?
Tom Krazit | Apr 20, 2009
Windows Mobile 6.5 phones still aren't expected to arrive until the second half of the year, but Microsoft sounds like it's ready to show off the new operating system next month.
Electronista spotted a post to Microsoft's Windows Mobile blog last week that said the company is planning to "launch" the new mobile operating system at TechEd 2009, scheduled for May 11. "Launch" can mean an awful lot of things in the business world, and in this case, it's likely that Microsoft is referring to the "release to manufacturing" milestone, when a product is made available to its handset partners for testing and certification.
Representatives from Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on what will announced or demonstrated in May. When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer discussed Windows Mobile 6.5 in February at the Mobile World Congress, he said that phones with the new software wouldn't be available until the second half of the year.
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LG Viewty Smart to succeed Viewty
Damian Koh | Apr 20, 2009
A couple of months ago, LG's UK blog did the honors of revealing the Arena prior to the official announcement. Now it's done it again, in what could either be a smart marketing move or honest oversight; we're inclined to think the former. The company has leaked the Viewty II, also known as the Viewty Smart, on its German blog. The information has since been pulled from its original post and replaced with a one-liner that more details will be available in the next few days. We'll keep a lookout for that.
Editors' note:
LG has officially announced the Viewty Smart (GC900). It will be available in Europe next month and subsequently make its way to other markets around the world.Meanwhile, a few blogsites have already picked up literature about the handset which will be using the same 3D S-Class user interface as the Arena. There's also an 8-megapixel camera with an onscreen slider key for switching between picture and video capture (up to 720 x 480-pixel resolution), geotagging, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, a 3-inch WVGA touchscreen and 1.5GB of onboard memory. It's all wrapped up in a slim 12.4mm chassis weighing 90g. We are excited already, so let's just make this official soon, yeah?
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