Hasta La Gadget!

Folks, there’s a new entry-level handset on the market from Nokia, but no… it’s not a member of the Asha family. As expected, the Lumia 505 is now official in Mexico. The Windows Phone 7.8 handset combines a 3.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) ClearBlack AMOLED display with an 8-megapixel rear shooter that captures video at a rather paltry VGA (640 x 480) resolution. Nokia is uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the chipset within, but it was previously tipped that a single-core 800MHz CPU is running the show. The Lumia 505 includes just 256MB of RAM — another sign of its low-end aspirations — along with 4GB of internal storage and a 1,300mAh battery. You’ll find quadband GSM support on this one, along with WCDMA access (topping out at 7.2Mbps HSDPA) over the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands. As if things weren’t official enough, the Lumia 505 is now sitting happily over at Telcel’s website. For the moment, neither pricing nor a release date have yet been established. Stay tuned, ya hear?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

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Via: WMPoweruser

Source: Nokia, Telcel

As you know, we love our LEGO around here. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, my faith in the creativity of humankind is restored by yet another LEGO build. This particular construction was inspired by the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muerto, or The Day of the Dead.

LEGO-maniac Brickbaron created this bright and colorful scene of a fun house, loaded with happy (and somewhat terrified) minifigs as they make their way in and out of the FunHaus (which, coincidentally isn’t Spanish at all).

It’s embellished with skulls and a facade loaded with eyeballs and chompy teeth to lure you in. It’s also got an awesome moving scene in the middle, which you can check out in the video clip below:

Brickbaron also says the scene was highly influenced by the works of artist Pooch, and I suggest that you check out his website for some cool and unusual paintings. Be sure to check out the hi-res images of FunHaus over on Flickr too.

[via Brothers Brick]

Those in the US can brag about having the range, indoor friendliness and other advantages of 700MHz LTE, but few other countries have that edge so far: Latin Americans who have any LTE at all usually have to contend with less tolerant 2.6GHz bands. Colombia isn’t happy with that state of affairs, and its National Spectrum Agency is spearheading a rapidly growing 4G movement in the region by testing 700MHz LTE between the fall and winter. Its strategy echoes proposals from Brazil and Mexico that will use the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity band plan, providing more efficient airwaves as well as wider device and network coverage. It will take beyond early 2013 before Colombia and its neighbors are actively using 700MHz bands — the digital TV transition is one of the bigger obstacles — but there’s desires for a fast-track spectrum handout that could bring blazing speeds to Bogota before too long.

[Image credit: Kinori, Wikipedia]

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile

Colombia to start testing 700MHz LTE, joins a Latin American trend in 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For a country that dominates the Latin American landscape, Brazil hasn’t had much of a presence in Google Street View outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. A fresh update to Street View coverage has just gone live that fleshes out the the more far-flung corners of the map. It’s now possible to see what it’s like on the ground in much of the southern tip of the country as well as the northern coastline. Further north, Mexicans get their own treat: Google is now providing the panoramic views for ancient ruins such as Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, just in case you’d rather not try to blend in with all the other tourists. The widened reach is undoubtedly no match for booking a flight and visiting in person, but it will save you the trouble of brushing up on your Portugese or ancient Mayan.

Filed under: Internet

Google Street View expands to cover swaths of Brazil and Mexican ruins, won’t substitute for a vacation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe it or not, prepaid cards are indeed a thing south of the US border. In fact, the majority of folks in Mexico often choose to go this route rather than sticking with some sort of monthly contract. Not surprisingly, Skype’s done its homework and has taken note of this situation, as the Microsoft-owned service has announced its plans to start selling a couple of prepaid card options in Mexico. For starters, there’s a 100 pesos (around $8) per-month deal which offers an unlimited calling plan to both mobile and landlines in the US, while the the pay-as-you-go sheet costs 150 pesos but charges by the minute at a modest 30 cents and includes calls to more than 170 countries. According to Skype, these cards will be available at multiple stores all over Mexico, such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, 7 Eleven and El Palacio de Hierro.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Internet

Skype now selling prepaid cards in Mexico, makes it easier to get unlimited calling plans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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