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Nokia Nseries DJ Mixer - Be Your Own DJ
2007-06-27 00:00:00
I found that Nokia Nseries in India has this cool app available for their Music Edition Nseries devices called DJ Mixer . DJ Mixer has 2 functions, mixer and karaoke.  With DJ Mixer you can create your own playlists or load an existing playlist from within the the music files on your device.  The only problem that I found with this is that it will only add MP3's that you have stored.  If you've converted your music to AAC format using Nokia's Music Manager you won't be able to find your music.  Once your playlist is created you can listen to the playlist and mix the styles as you like.  The Karaoke function seems fun!!  Now I'm not gonna play my mix because my voice sounds like crizzap!! You can load your own MP3 from your device and record and save your own karaoke tune.  Unfortunately I got a java error when trying to listen to what I recorded... All in all the app seems kind of fun, and paired with some stereo bluetooth headsets you could ...
More About: Serie , Erie

PSP clockspeed upped to 333MHz after 3.50 firmware update
2007-06-27 00:00:00
Sony has admitted that it sneakily upgraded the PSP's clockspeed to 333MHz (from 266MHz) in the version 3.50 firmware update that was released last month. This admission is confusing for a couple of reasons: for starters, Sony originally underclocked the PSP in order to increase the stated battery life of the console. Does that mean they'll be forced to decrease the stated battery life, so as to avoid false advertisement? It's also rather odd that developers are only now being granted access to the extra MHz oomph, prompting mutterings of a new PSP model which -- as one Joystiq commentator points out -- could take as long to appear as games that take full advantage of the 333MHz clockspeed. Or, maybe this upgrade simply enabled the PSP to cope with all that "remote play" malarkey that 3.50 enabled. That would be the logical assumption.[Via Joystiq]
More About: Firmware , Update , Lock , Speed up

Is this Nokia's geometry-happy 7900?
2007-06-27 00:00:00
For a manufacturer that's arguably the most design conservative of the Big Five (or not), this here 7900 seems to be totally outside Nokia's comfort zone -- but who knows? We live in an era where Nokia's warmed up to American 3G, so we can say with confidence that crazier things have happened. Features are said to include WCDMA and quadband GSM, QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel cam, 1GB of internal storage, and an 11mm thick case that really brings out our inner mathematician. Until we see something a little more real on this one, though, we'll be filing it in the "fanboy rendering" cabinet.[Via IntoMobile]
More About: Happy , Happy 7 , Geometry

Apple takes you on an iPhone guided tour
2007-06-27 00:00:00
We know, we know, seven days is just too long to wait. So what's a salivating iPhone junkie to do to pass the time? Apple has the answer with its new incredibly detailed "Guid ed Tour " video of the device. No real secrets being revealed, but the video gives an in-depth look into the ins and outs of using most of the apps and getting your way around everyday functions like unlocking the phone, merging phone calls and skipping through Visual Voicemail like a rockstar. There's nothing here to dispel doubters, since the real proof of the pudding is going to come from touching the screen with your own hands and waiting on EDGE to deliver sites quite a bit slower than shown in the demo, but the true believers in the room aren't going to be exactly disappointed by the consistently slick interface and features shown off in the video.
More About: Iphone

When two SIMs just aren't enough: the Huatian K998
2007-06-27 00:00:00
When will the madness end? How many SIMs must we stuff underneath our batteries before someone dares to stand up against the trend? Hard to say, really, but that number is apparently more than 3. China's Huatian K998 extends the largely Asian trend of loading handsets with dual SIMs by adding a third, but there's nothing really cool or innovative about it since the user has to manually switch between them; it seems the only real advantage is that folks finding themselves walking around with a pocketful of active SIMs can stick three in a handset at once. Other less notable features include a 3 inch touchscreen, microSD expansion, and 1.3 megapixel cam, none of which you'll likely have time to use if you're seriously fielding calls from three lines.[Via Gearfuse]
More About: Sims

Levi's intros shiny new cellphones
2007-06-27 00:00:00
Levi's made its cellphone intentions pretty well known late last year, but it's just now following through with them, trotting out its new line of self-branded phones made with more than a little help from ModeLabs. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot in the way of technical details at the moment, but Levi's is more than willing to talk up the phone's various style advantages, including its riveted steel casing and detachable chain. From the looks of it, you'll also be able to get the phone in your choice of five color schemes, including metallic silver, black, brown copper, "shiny silver," and "shiny sand" -- the latter two of which also come with "mirror" screens. More details should be trickling out as we near the phone's September launch date, which appears to be confined to Europe for the time being.
More About: Cellphones , Intro , Shin , Shiny

Opera Mini 4 goes beta
2007-06-22 00:00:00
We thought Opera Mini was pretty good as it was, but the company has taken its smallest, lightest browser through a "complete redesign" for its fourth major release. Codenamed "Dimension," The new version features a Wii browser-like zoom that moves immediately to content -- a good idea when your screen's less than a quarter the resolution of the display the average full-fledged website was designed for. It's still in beta, but they seem to like what they've got going on; they're even putting it head-to-head with the iPhone's supposedly brilliant browser. Adventurous users can check it out straight from their handsets by browsing over to mini.opera.com/beta (manual Palm and BlackBerry installs are available directly from Opera's site).
More About: Beta , Opera Mini , Goes

Sony Ericsson makes K850, W910, W960, others official
2007-06-18 00:00:00
Yeah, the new batch of watches is pretty cool, but let's be honest -- at the end of the day, the handsets themselves are the real deal, and Sony Ericsson didn't disappoint with today's reveals. The Gracenote slip-up outed the three hottest of the bunch, the K850, W910, and W960. The K850 is the follow-on to the lauded K790 / K800 with a 5 megapixel cam, NetFront browser, and tri-band HSDPA (North American bands mercifully included) and quadband GSM plus EDGE. The W910 and W960 are beasts of Walkman phones, offering 3G data, 2 megapixel and 3.2 megapixel cams respectively, and -- in the case of the W960 -- UIQ 3.1 and a full 8GB of onboard storage. Also-rans in today's lineup include the not-for-US-consumption K530, a 14mm 3G candybar, and the low-end Z250 and Z320 flips. Look for 'em all in the second half of the year.
More About: Official , Sony-Ericsson

A closer look at Sony Ericsson's W910 and W960
2007-06-18 00:00:00
With six handsets, three new Bluetooth watches, and an array of new accessories and peripherals, Sony Ericsson went for broke with today's announcement (heck, we'd go so far to say that they should've teased even a little more than they did). Obviously that's a lot to digest, so we wanted to zoom in on the W910 and W950 -- the company's newest and fanciest Walkman-branded units -- and take a look at just what it is that sets them apart. The W910 got hearts pounding as the "Shinobu" before its official announcement, and by all accounts, it seems the hubbub was justified. HSDPA is still rare by Sony Ericsson standards, so we're happy to see it make an appearance here; sadly, though, 2100MHz is the only supported band. The slider users NetFront, which should make browsing a fairly decent experience. Internal storage is a meager 40MB, so the Memory Stick Micro M2 slot will likely see heavy use -- especially when putting that 2 megapixel shooter to use. "SensMe"...
More About: Loser , Closer , Look

Mio GPS-enabled A702 sees light of day
2007-06-18 00:00:00
The Mio A702 -- the replacement for the tweaked-looking Mio A701 Digi-Walker -- was unveiled amid much fanfare and smiling people in fancy outfits. Upgrade details include a bump to Windows Mobile 6 Pro, a 3.2 megapixel camera, MicroSD slot, and a jog wheel for speedy navigation. Connectivity also sees a bit of upgrading with the inclusion of WiFi (was lacking in the A701), Bluetooth, and we can only hope that the radio front reveals quad-band GSM with a few HSDPA frequencies thrown in for good measure. Official specs were not on the table at the unveiling, so expect an update post as soon as we hear more.[Via Slashphone]
More About: Light , Sees , Bled

LG enV, now in orange
2007-06-18 00:00:00
As expected, LG's hip lil' QWERTY number, the VX9900 enV, has re-dropped in orange. The feature list is pretty much the same as the original, they've just gone ahead and gutted the phone's stiff, businesslike black and replaced it with a decidedly brighter hue. Get it online -- it's an online exclusive for the moment -- for $150 on contract.
More About: Orange , Range

Hands-on with the HTC S710 "Vox"
2007-06-18 00:00:00
Looking for a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device with a slide-out QWERTY doohickey plus a dedicated numeric keypad? The Vox is pretty much the only game in town -- and we're delighted to report that that's not a bad thing at all. Known as the S710 under HTC's own branding, the set rocks a 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, quadband GSM with EDGE data, 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM, a microSD slot, and WiFi. The software's standard fare (and reasonably fast in light of the pokey 201MHz OMAP850), but as is often the case with HTC kit, the hardware's where this thing really stands out. Not only were we super impressed by how rock-solid the S710 felt, but considering the immense value of the QWERTY keyboard, you sacrifice very little in size or weight. In fact, looking at the phone straight on from the front, you can't even tell that it's anything but a rather ordinary looking candybar. It's a little thicker, sure, but well worth the price of admission, even if only for the occasional email-...
More About: Hands , Hand , Hands On

Keepin' it real fake, part LVIII: A816 mobile dons PS3 logo
2007-05-21 00:00:00
As if the 7.1 surround sound smartphone and king-of-all-knockoffs weren't enough, today we're graced with the portable PS3, er, the 3 Cool A816. This laugher sports a design ripped fairly hard from Sony's PlayStation Portable, but dons a hysterical "PS3 Game Player" logo right across the back, which would absolutely thrill those wanting to play PS3 games without coughing up the dough for a $499 $599 console if, you know, those pesky discs would just fit. Carrying on, the GSM conglomerate also sports a 320 x 240 resolution 3.5-inch screen which is casually referred to as "high-definition capable," built-in MP3 player and image viewer, video game emulator, 1.3-megapixel camera, TV out, an MP3-based alarm clock, handwriting support, an integrated dictionary, and dual stereo speakers to boot. As expected, there's no word on price just yet, and even though it's supposedly available to ship as of this month, we can't possibly urge you more to resist the temptatio...
More About: Mobile , Fake , Real , Part , Logo

Motorola's video-centric phone is... the MOTORIZR Z8
2007-05-18 00:00:00
Yeah, the RAZR 2 is alright, we guess, but we're not idiots -- and that's exactly what Motorola appears to have taken us for over the past week leading up to today's announcements. Not only did Motorola's team drone on endlessly about the MING, GSM Q (now known as the Q8), the Q9h, the Z6, and the Z8 -- even daring to cast some in a new-announcement light -- but it now seems that the multimedia powerhouse CEO Ed Zander was getting us all fired up over last week was the aforementioned Z8. Yes, the very same Z8 that was announced months ago at 3GSM. Next time, Ed, cut to the chase and let us know when you're going to be rehashing an old phone to hype your conference, kthxbai.
More About: Video , Phone , S Video , Tori

The Motorola RAZR 2
2007-05-16 00:00:00
Motorola has today officially unveiled the successor to one of the most iconic mobiles ever made, the RAZR 2. Available in 3.6Mbps HSDPA, EV-DO, and GSM / EDGE variants, the device comes in 2 millimeters slimmer than its predecessor and -- on some versions, anyway -- will be the second to use Motorola's new Linux-based platform (the first being the Z6). It includes something Moto is calling "Crystal Talk" technology that automatically adjusts volume and tone based on ambient noise. Other features include external music controls, haptics for tactile feedback when keys are pressed, a full HTML browser, 2 megapixel cam, the full suite of Bluetooth profiles, Windows Media Player synchronization, a 2-inch external display, and twice the screen resolution of the original RAZR. GSM versions start shipping in early July, with CDMA following up later in the summer.
More About: Motorola

Nokia N81 and N82 come to light
2007-05-16 00:00:00
Symbian-Guru has the scoop on not one, but two unannounced new high-end Nokia handsets, the N81 (pictured on the left) and the N82 (pictured on the right). The slider-style N81 looks it'll be the successor to their N91 musicphone (except less, uh, busted-looking) and sport a full 8GB of memory, a 2.4-inch QVGA display, quad-band EDGE and 2100MHz HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The N82 has a more traditional candybar form-factor and'll have a five megapixel camera with Xenon flash and auto-focus Carl Zeiss lens, quad-band GSM (doesn't say whether it'll be GRPS or EDGE, but we're guessing EDGE), 2100MHz HSDPA, a 2.4-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, integrated GPS, FM tuner, and a microSD memory card slot. Doesn't sound like either will be out until Q4 of this year.[Via Ring Nokia]
More About: Light , Come

Nokia unloads Series 40 5th Edition on developers
2007-05-16 00:00:00
Billed as "the latest evolution of the highest-volume mobile-development platform available," Nokia used this week's JavaOne shindig to launch its Series 40 5th Edition operation system for mass-market handsets. While not technically a smartphone platform (unlike its big sib S60), Series 40 is about as open as a dumbphone platform can get -- and 5th Edition is making it even more open with a wide variety of new Java-based APIs. Though there are apparently some UI enhancements in store that promise to yield "richer multimedia applications," Nokia's pretty vague about what exactly the user will see in 5th Edition, concentrating instead on the benefits to developers and carriers. Most notably, the Bluetooth OBEX profile is now supported in Java apps, Flash Lite 2.1 gets Nokia's blessing, and the Advanced Media Supplements standard offers up 3D sound. No word on when 5th Edition might be hitting handsets, but a new suite of tools to harness the new goodies will be...
More About: Developers , Load

WM6 Standard's Office apps hacked for Smartphone
2007-05-16 00:00:00
Any Smartphone user knows that a good lump of the "Smart" part of Smartphone is missing in action due to the lack of Mobile Office apps on the device. Well, some industrious folk have learned that Office Mobile from Windows Mobile 6 Stand ard -- Excel, Word Mobile, and Powerpoint Mobile -- can be dragged kicking and screaming from that platform to run perfectly well on the old standard, Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone. We see two options for eager enthusiasts here: petition Microsoft to offer a purchasable version of the new suite, or, of course, have a go at the hack.[Via the::unwired]
More About: Anda , Hacked

Helio Ocean launches today
2007-05-16 00:00:00
Get ready to spend the weekend mindlessly sliding the Ocean 's dual keypads open and closed until you drive friends and family to the brink of insanity (trust us, it's pretty addictive). Yep, that would be this weekend we're talking about -- Helio 's new flagship device finally makes its debut on its website and store shelves today for $295, followed by a second wave of availability in a variety of third-party retailers toward the end of this month. Of course, unless you're within driving distance of one of Helio's handful of flagship locations, actually finding one today might be challenging; might we recommend our hands-on to hold you over while you patiently wait for the parcel to make its way to your doorstep?
More About: Today , Elio

Gigabyte g-Smart i300 to get Windows Mobile 6
2007-05-08 00:00:00
Not to suggest many among our readership have one of these suckers, but for the few (and proud) who do, rejoice. The g-Smart i300 is now slated to get an upgrade from Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition to Windows Mobile 6 Professional, though the translated press release doesn't seem to offer details on exactly how or when the upgrade will go down. Forgetting for a moment the sickly GPRS data speeds, the i300 offers up decent specs with a 520MHz PXA270 core, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, GPS, and a full 256MB of internal Flash with miniSD expansion. Look for the Windows Mobile 6-enabled version of the i300 to launch first in Taiwan with a follow-on launch in Turkey, of all places.[Via the::unwired]
More About: Gigabyte

Samsung Wafer now available at Alltel shop
2007-05-08 00:00:00
The recently announced Samsung SCH-r510 Wafer -- and at just 8.4 millimeters thin, this moniker is well deserved -- has landed at the Alltel shop, dear friends. This uber svelte XM Radio packin', EV-DO speedin' device has hit the shelves with the anybody-can-afford-it price of $49 dollars. If you aren't happy with just the XM Radio features, the Wafer also packs a memory slot (microSD) for music storage and stereo Bluetooth functionality to listen sans wires. For an entry level device and price, we're loving this tiny feature-packed handset.
More About: Shop , Available

Smartphones to get mobile flavor of Ubuntu Linux
2007-05-08 00:00:00
While having a flavor of Linux on one's smartphone isn't unheard of, it could become at least somewhat more popular now that a common variety is scheduled to make its mobile debut. After years of Linux-on-a-handset talk from just about every direction imaginable, the developers of Ubuntu are hoping to "extend its open-source software development to handheld internet-enabled devices." Reportedly dubbed the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project, the operating system could be headed to your mobile device thanks to a collaborative effort between Ubuntu programmers and Intel, which shouldn't come as any surprise considering its recent infatuation with the open-sourced OS. Of course, Ubuntu is a surefire candidate for OS of the month given all the press its meandered into of late, but developers did note that designing a mobile GUI and configuring the power management capabilities would be quite a challenge. The best part, however, is how quickly the mobile rendition will be rol...
More About: Smartphones , Ubuntu Linux

Dell joins the Microsoft-Novell alliance, hopes for Windows / Linux harmony
2007-05-08 00:00:00
The adoration for Linux that has been flowing from Round Rock of late is both refreshing and curious, and Dell has just taken its respect for the open-source OS to another level by signing on with Microsoft and Novell. While Linux users have long griped (and protested) about Microsoft, it's been no secret that Michael Dell has a thing for Ubuntu, and now it sounds like Dell will be "buying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certificates from Microsoft," and moreover, "will be setting up a services and marketing program aimed at getting users of open-source platforms to switch to the new SUSE Linux offering." With the agreement inked, the Texas Powerhouse becomes the "first major systems provider to align with Microsoft and Novell in the collaboration," and judging by all the other recent Linux happenings in the Dell arena, we'd say this deal aligns perfectly with its current strategy.
More About: Windows , Hopes , Harmony

Samsung's Q1 Ultra released, starts at $799
2007-05-08 00:00:00
Samsung's getting all cutesy on us by launching the new Q1 Ultra exactly a year after the Q1 first arrived on shelves May 7, 2006. Luckily for us, May 7, 2007 is looking to be a bit more exciting for the UMPC lovers among us, since Samsung has boosted the battery life to a "minimum" 4.5 hours, added an LED backlit 1024 x 600 screen and stuck plenty of wireless connectivity into the new unit. The split-QWERTY keyboard held up well in our initial, informal encounters, but that's the largest departure for the new device, and hopefully it does indeed mark an end to UMPC input woes. But despite all those spec enhancements, the best news is the price: Samsung's starting these out at $799, not cheap enough to start a revolution, but at least edging the UMPC away from its current luxury status.
More About: Released , Tarts , Tart , Lease

HP Compaq 2710p tablet PC coming in July?
2007-05-08 00:00:00
HP Compa q 's tablet range is the latest to get a new machine, this time in the form of the 2710p tablet PC which is apparently the replacement for the tc4400. Specs are very sparse for this particular model -- apparently all the source could dig up was that it'd come with 802.11n wireless and, wait for it, an optional webcam configuration. Other than that, this aluminum metal (at least, the render looks like real metal) tablet is due to hit sometime around July this year. So, what's next from the sieve that is HP's laptop department?
More About: Tablet , Ming

New Version of Nokia Sports Tracker
2007-05-08 00:00:00
Nokia has updated its GPS Sports Track er Application to v 1.42.  The new version fixes a few bugs and introduces some new enhancements such as support for Metric/Imperial/Nautical measurements, GPS filtering and support for transferring .kml files using Bluetooth or MMS. For N95 users if you refresh your Downloads! folder the new version should be present, but if not you can download it here. [via: NokiaDevices]
More About: Nokia , Rack , Sion

Asus G1S and G2S gaming notebooks with Santa Rosa
2007-05-07 00:00:00
The Santa Rosa bonanza continues with the "leak" of information on two new Asus laptops. The Asus G1S and G2S are updates on the G1 and G2, and will come with Santa Rosa Core 2 Duo processors up to 2.2GHz. Both models get bumps in screen resolution, with the 15.4-inch widescreen G1S moving to the G2's 1680x1080 resolution, and the 17-inch G2S going for 1920x1200. Powering those multiple megapixel displays is an Nvidia GeForce 8600M with 256MB of video RAM, which gives these models the DirectX 10 compatibility which all the kids seem to want these days. Rounding out the specs is all the usual high-end laptop gear -- 2GB RAM, 160GB and 200GB HDDs, DVD burners, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth -- which is just what you'd expect with the €1700 and €1900 ($2300 and $2560) pricetags. The source says that these numbers will hit on May 21, and judging by the Euro pricing information, we'd guess that they'll remain Europe only for now.
More About: Gaming , Notebooks

Microsoft's Xbox 360 to finally become profitable in 2008?
2007-05-07 00:00:00
t's fairly safe to assume that Microsoft as a whole ain't hurtin' in the wallet, but for its Xbox platform, the positive cash flow is (possibly) just around the corner. According to an interview with Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, the firm's gaming business "will be profitable next year," which will certainly be a breath of fresh air considering how much loot it has been losing for years in the arena. Still, it's not like any major competitors aren't suffering through the same pains, and while the Big N is smiling all the way to the bank with the profits it makes on every Wii sold, we're glad that at least a few consoles are offering up high-definition and true online play regardless of the cost. Obviously, the continual decrease in component costs are making the consoles cheaper to produce, but Bach went so far as to point out that (overpriced) peripherals, an increased user base on Xbox Live, and software sales would be ...
More About: Xbox 360 , Soft , Finally , Come

Vertu's "Strawberry" and "Cream" Ascents
2007-05-07 00:00:00
Frankly, we're not sure who's still buying the Vert u Ascent. Contrary to what Vertu might think, its handsets aren't timeless -- as technology plods ever forward, so must the world's phones. Alas, the company is seeing fit to roll out yet another batch of special editions of its most "mainstream" (we use that term very loosely here) model. "Stra wberry " and "Cream ," as one might expect, are pink and white respectively and feature perforated leather on their rears to roughly approximate the texture of a strawberry. Of course, it takes a very special kind of "rich" to afford a Vertu, so maybe existing owners are snatching these things up and putting them into some sort of ornate, wooden storage box, never to be used or seen again. To you folks, look for these newest models to grace your Vertu retailer come June.

Gateway's C120X convertible tablet PC gets reviewed
2007-05-07 00:00:00
Gateway's C120X, which is curiously also dubbed the E-155C and S-7125C, didn't look like a half bad option for the convertible fans in the crowd from the start, and while the weight and less-than-enthralling LCD may turn some folks off, NotebookReview found it a "solid" tablet for the money. One noticeable perk was the stylish, professional design and the sturdy nature of the enclosure, but opening it up put a sudden damper on things when peering at the "grainy, washed-out" touchscreen. Reviewers did admire the Wacom-enabled stylus, the lack of heat and noise while in use, and "impressive" speakers, but a bevy of minor quibbles kept it from excellence. The biggest digs came from a loose screen hinge, keyboard flexing, and just "normal" battery life from a ULV-equipped machine. Essentially, this tablet looks to be a classic example of ho hum, as it offers no real standout features that can't be found elsewhere, and provides just enough quirk...
More About: Gets , Gateway , Convert , Tablet , Convertible