Posts in Mobile Phones
Speakers good enough to be eaten
Damian Koh | Oct 11, 2007
If speakers could speak (what irony), the new Bluetooth accessory from Sony Ericsson would probably scream "eat me!". Wrap the MBS-100 up in wrinkled gold foil and we may be able to fool people into biting into this oversized Ferrero Rocher. According to Sony Ericsson, the MBS-100 (name's not cool) is its first portable speaker that's able to stream music wirelessly from a phone via Bluetooth stereo. A fully charged internal battery delivers up to 5 hours of music playback. However, you're out of luck if you intend to get hold of these speakers this festive season as they will be available only from Q1 2008 in selected Asia-Pacific markets.
Update: While you're still grappling with news that you cannot get hold of these cute speakers, you can hop over to read our first take on the K630i which was launched at the same time. We have a video of it, too!
Samsung i600 gets a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade
Reuben Lee | Oct 10, 2007
The upgraded OS is expected to sport several email enhancements including attachment downloads, using message flags in Outlook, improved scheduler function and better management of Out-Of-Office utilities.
Samsung also revealed that new units of i600 already installed with the Windows Mobile 6 OS will also ship to Singapore from October 13. This will retail at S$738, bundled with a 2GB microSD flash memory card and a Samsung Bluetooth headset (WEP170 or WEP185). The i600 with WM5 was originally priced at S$798 during its initial launch.
According to Samsung, the WM6 upgrade service and new WM6 i600 will be rolled out across Southeast Asia from October 13 till the end of the year.
Sony Ericsson site down, new products upcoming?
Damian Koh | Oct 10, 2007
When Apple takes down its Web site for site maintenance, it usually means the company has something new to announce, though it's not 100 percent accurate all the time and Apple fanboys know this routine best. Well, at the time of writing, Sony Ericsson's global site was partially down and we saw multiple red crosses on the global landing page as well as on some other pages. Are we expecting new products soon? Several rumors have been circulating on the Web and one of the most talked about handset is the successor to the M600i, codenamed Lizzy. How true is it? I guess we'll know when the site is back up.
Update: The site's back up and we don't see any new products. Looks like it was a false alarm.
KDDI's Infobar 2 debuts in Ceatec, Japan
Damian Koh | Oct 09, 2007
I think it's pretty safe to say we're sick of hearing about all the wonderful technology in Japan. It probably assumes that anywhere outside the land of the rising sun still belongs to Dark tech Ages. But that's not going to stop us from writing about all the gadgets we can't get (actually we can, but then we may end up writing about the iPhone again). Anyway, here's another one that surfaced at the recent Tokyo Ceatec exhibition in Chiba, Japan--the KDDI Infobar 2.
According to Yahoo News, the Infobar 2 is expected to debut in November in Japan at an estimated price of 20,000 yen without a service contract. Although we're not particularly excited about the handset's 2.6-inch OLED 240 x 400-pixel screen, 2-megapixel camera, 100MB onboard memory and microSD expansion slot, its embedded FeliCa chip allows for contactless electronic payment and is something the world is still trying to play catch-up with.
Besides free digital television broadcast (in Tokyo, there are envy of envy seven channels), KDDI offers a music download service for its users via its Lismo music store. Particularly of interest is the search feature which lets users look for a track by typing the artist's name, song title, or even humming into the handset and letting the system do the match. Really, who needs the iPhone after this?
[Thanks Steve Levenstein for the tip]
Via Yahoo News
Why I chose the iPod touch (and not the iPhone)
Reuben Lee | Oct 08, 2007
You'd think that years of being a CNET Asia reviewer would have taught me a thing or two about making tech purchases. Apparently not.
Prior to arriving in San Francisco for an Intel event, I had done my homework and somewhat set my mind on getting an iPhone. The US$200 price cut that the Cupertino company had recently announced was just too good to pass. Not to mention that I was as fallible as the next customer when it came to the iPhone, from the impressive touch display interface down to the sleek Apple styling that's simply irresistible. A further bonus was the fact that the iPhone would officially be launched in Asia only next year, giving me early adopter status in the league of extraordinary geeks and making me (naturally) the envy of my fellow scribes back home. And if it turns out I don't like the iPhone after all, well, there's always eBay.
However, when I finally found myself standing inside the Apple Store in San Francisco late in September, the iPod touch in one hand, the iPhone in the other, I started having second thoughts about the iPhone. Aside from not having faster connectivity options such as 3G and HSDPA, the iPhone needs to be unlocked by third-party options in order to be used with SIM cards other than AT&T's, and that's additional cost.
As much as I didn't like the glossy chrome finish of the iPod touch and its lack of a camera and cellular support, its slimmer design and larger 16GB capacity made it really attractive over the iPhone. Also noteworthy were the touch's video-out capabilities and normal 3.5mm-jack, both of which aren't found on the iPhone. The iPhone's 3.5mm audio jack is recessed into the slot, making it compatible with only a selected number of earphones out there (unless it is used with an additional adapter).
Eventually, on my sixth visit to the Apple store, during which the Apple staff now readily recognized me, I finally got the 16GB iPod touch. My rationale being that I'm still convinced a better iPhone will come along to Asia next year, complete with 3G and further improvements. There was that plus the limited availability of the iPod touch--the 16GB version was perpetually sold out on my first five visits to the store--which decided me. Am I happy with my decision now I've gotten it? You betcha!
Crave is...
The name says it all. Crave is our new blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.
Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.
Crave for...
» Mobile Phones (895)
» Digital Cameras (504)
» Notebooks (601)
» PC & Peripherals (666)
» Handhelds (319)
» Printers (47)
» Home AV (598)
» Music & Play (492)
» Gadgets (1108)
» Future Tech (214)
Previously...
Copyright © 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.
