Jun 05

Research In Motion Acquires Dash Navigation

Posted in: gps, navigation, RIM, Smart Devices, Today's Chili

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Research in Motion has confirmed that it quietly acquired Dash Navigation for an undisclosed sum, according to Boy Genius Report. Late last year, Dash announced that it was ceasing production of its well-liked Dash Express hardware navigation unit and pulling out of the hardware business entirely. At the time, Dash laid off several employees, and said that it would focus on software licensing for the time being.
The move gives Research in Motion an in-house GPS mapping solution that could improve the software bundled with future BlackBerry smartphones, many of which run TeleNav-powered GPS navigation under various names (such as Sprint Navigation and AT&T Navigation).
The acquisition was first reported by GPS Business News and later confirmed by Research in Motion.
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Jun 04

Tweetlog: Samsung Jitterbug J SPH-A310 (GreatCall)

Posted in: samsung, Today's Chili

0,1425,i=239867,00.jpg The new Jitterbug J cell phone (http://tinyurl.com/qgn7v5) is the perfect gift for your technophobic dad.

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Jun 04

Peek E-Mail Gadget on Sale for $19.99

Posted in: BlackBerry, Today's Chili

Peek_Aqua_Silver.jpgOver the past several months, Peek has tried a number of sales tactics to move its disappointing e-mail gadget, including a lifetime subscription offer and a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Now the company is selling turquoise units–I know, your favorite color–for just $19.99 on Amazon.com, according to Ubergizmo.

The official name for the color is “Aqua.” There is still no discount off the $20 monthly service fee, though–one of the unit’s several main problems. Even so, since there’s no contract, it could be worth the 40 bucks to try it out for a month or two and see what you think of it–and then cancel the subscription when you realize you can get a free BlackBerry Pearl 8120 with Wi-Fi, unlimited Web browsing, and much faster push-email, for $25 per month extra over a regular voice plan on T-Mobile–and now it’s all in one device. I’m just saying.
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Jun 04

Nokia Begins Selling N97 Smartphone

Posted in: nokia, Smart Devices, smartphone, Today's Chili, touch

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Right on schedule, Nokia announced that it has begun selling its long-awaited N97 smartphone–er, sorry, “mobile computer.” The N97 offers a 3.5-inch touch screen LCD, a full QWERTY keyboard, and direct access to the handset vendor’s troubled Ovi Store for buying or downloading mobile apps.

The N97 lets users customize the home screen with widgets, including ones for popular destinations like Facebook and news services like Bloomberg or The Associated Press. The N97 also features a whopping 32GB of internal storage, plus a microSD card slot that adds up to 16GB of additional storage plus the ability to sideload media. The handset includes a 5-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and can record video files at up to 30 frames per second.
The N97 is available unlocked in either black or white for $699.00 direct from www.nokiausa.com–although despite the company’s availability announcement, it’s listed as out of stock on the time of this writing. The N97 is probably the closest shot Nokia has taken at the iPhone to date. But without a carrier subsidy, it’s going to be a tough sell, aside from the select few high-end customers who appreciate the advantages of unlocked devices.
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Jun 04

Sony Ericsson Launches Two Green Phones

Posted in: Sony Ericsson, Today's Chili

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Sony Ericsson released two environmentally-friendly phones and a recycled Bluetooth headset today as part of a new “green” initiative called GreenHeart. One of the phones, the upcoming Naite, may be destined for a US release. (To watch the Webcast announcing the phones, see this GoodCleanTech post.)

The GreenHeart initiative includes setting targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by Sony Ericsson’s supply chain and reducing the overall carbon-dioxide footprint of Sony Ericsson products through various means.

For instance, they’re eliminating paper manuals on their “green” phones, reducing the size of their packaging, using recycled plastics, and using low-power chargers. By 2011, they will volunteer to take back and recycle their used phones wherever they’re sold. They’re also reducing the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing their phones.

The two new phones are the first fruits of the GreenHeart plan. The Naite, which will come in a model that will work with AT&T’s 3G network here in the US, is a mid-range, candybar-style feature phone. It has a 2-megapixel camera, media player, Web browser, Microsoft Exchange e-mail support, Bluetooth, and an FM radio. According to a Sony Ericsson chat transcript, the phone will cost around 159 euros ($222) before subsidy.

GreenHeart’s flagship product, the C901, will not be released in the US, though a Sony Ericsson Web page hints at a “C901a” which could be the US model. That phone has a 5-megapixel camera with xenon flash along with all of the Naite’s other features.

You can check out the full specs for both phones on Sony Ericsson’s Web site.

Sony Ericsson’s announcement follows green initiatives by other mobile phone makers, including Samsung (who call theirs “Blue Earth“) and Motorola (who released the first GreenTech Approved phone, the W233, earlier this year.)

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Jun 04

Verizon Wireless Launches BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230

Posted in: BlackBerry, Smart Devices, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

vzw-bb-flip.jpgNot to be left out of the Palm Pre day hysteria, Verizon Wireless launched a smart phone today. It’s no Pre, though. The BlackBerry Flip 8230 has been out on Alltel for a while, and it’s first cousin to a phone that’s been on T-Mobile for several months.

The 8230 is a BlackBerry Pearl remixed into a (very long) flip phone, with two color LCD displays, a 2-megapixel camera, GPS and Verizon’s 3G EVDO Internet connection. It supports all the latest BlackBerry features, including App World and Media Sync, RIM’s somewhat clunky but effective iTunes syncing solution. You enter text using a Pearl-style hybrid keyboard, with two letters on most keys.

The Flip 8230 will cost $129.99 with a two-year contract and $70 mail-in rebate (so you’ll be paying $199.99 at the point of purchase.) It goes on sale June 19.

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Jun 04

Mossberg Confirms, New iPhone Coming Next Week

Posted in: iPhone, palm pre, Smart Devices, Today's Chili

Apple_iPhone_Pics.jpgReading Walt Mossberg’s review of the Palm Pre is amusing, because Mossberg obviously has the next iPhone and can’t talk about it. Read between the lines: he’s straining to compare the Pre to the un-announced iPhone on his desk. He wants to do it so badly. But he can’t, because that would steal Apple’s thunder.

When you’re suffering from a case of NDA-itis that badly, it’s no surprise when things slip out around the edges. In this case, Mossberg confirmed that Apple will indeed release an iPhone next week. And did I mention that he probably has it?

“I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations,” he writes.

Wording is important here. He couches many of his other iPhone predictions in “I expect” or “rumor” language: “I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed. Plus, there are persistent rumors that Apple will announce at least one iPhone at a drastically lower price than $199.”

But the first sentence is declarative, definitive: that new iPhone is to be unveiled next week. Not “expected to” or “rumored to.” We’ll be there, on Monday morning at 10 AM PT, and we’ll be liveblogging.

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Jun 04

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Palm Pres Battery

Posted in: palm pre, Smart Devices, Today's Chili

small-pre.jpgThe Palm Pre is a great device, but the battery needs a little help. Like with the iPhone, you shouldn’t expect this phone to last more than a day or two on a charge. Palm gave us these useful tips for making the Pre’s battery last longer. We tried them, and they made a big difference.

Log out of IM, especially AIM. There’s a bug in the AIM client that sucks up battery way too quickly (Palm’s fixing it) and the Google Talk presence alerts also use battery, though less than AIM. Remember, you can’t just throw the IM program’s card away; you have to click on “Sign Out” in the IM applications.

Turn on Wi-Fi. Sounds unintuitive, right? Well, the Pre doesn’t have the greatest Sprint reception of anything we’ve ever tested, and it actually has a relatively power-efficient Wi-Fi radio. When the Pre’s Wi-Fi is running, it uses Wi-Fi rather than 3G to make Internet connections. So connecting via Wi-Fi saves battery rather than wasting it.

Change your e-mail settings. By tapping on the upper left corner of the screen in the e-mail program, you can pop down a menu that lets you change e-mail preferences. For accounts where you get relatively little mail, set them to push. But for accounts where you get an e-mail every five minutes or more often, set them to check every 15 minutes. That will save battery.

With these battery tips, you’ll definitely get more than a day’s use out of each charge on the Palm Pre.

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Jun 03

Palm Pre: The Device, The Software, The Network Reviewed

Posted in: palm pre, Smart Devices, Today's Chili

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The first reviews of the Palm Pre are coming out today, and I’ve been looking at every aspect of the year’s hottest smart phone. Here’s what we’ve put out tonight – more is coming over the next few days.

The full review of the Palm Pre explains why this is the year’s hottest smart phone.

The Palm Touchstone inductive charging accessory not only is a fun way to give your Pre some juice, it makes a great stand for music or video playback.

MotionApps Classic PalmOS emulator is the first must-have app for the Pre. It only works with some PalmOS applications for now, but it opens up a huge world of third-party apps for the Pre.

The new Apple update to iTunes doesn’t break the Pre’s almost miraculous iTunes syncing.

Here’s our 22-image slideshow of the Palm Pre in action.

Sprint’s 3G network is actually better than AT&T’s nationwide, though it doesn’t match up to Verizon Wireless’s. The carrier says they’re working on improving customer service, too.

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Jun 03

Sony Ericsson Unveils Unlocked W995A Phone in U.S.

Posted in: mobile, Sony Ericsson, Today's Chili

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Sony Ericsson has been mostly MIA in the U.S. market as of late. But they’re looking to change that with the W995A, an American tuned version of the high-end W995 handset that the company announced a few months ago. That means the W995A now has a proper tri-band (850/1900/2100 MHz) HSDPA data radio in addition to being a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) EDGE phone.

The W995A features a powerful Cybershot 8.1-megapixel camera with face detection, auto-focus, image stabilization, and flash capability. It works like a regular camera: flip it on its side and use the screen as a horizontal viewfinder. It also comes with a premium set of Sony stereo ear buds, a full lineup of Walkman-style music capabilities, and built-in GPS navigation with voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions.
Sony is bundling its PSP-style Media Go software for transferring photos, videos, and music files to and from the W995A. There’s also a 2.6-inch non-touch LCD screen, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a Memory Stick Micro slot with an 8GB card included in the box. The W995A will be available in stores and on SonyStyle.com for “about $600” on July 6th. Stay tuned for a full review.
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