Hasta La Gadget!

Yeah, we can probably safely leave this one in the file we found it in: you know, the one marked “never going to happen.” Regardless, when we spied this little dude on Unwired View, we thought we’d pass along the weirdness. Unearthed in a Sony Ericsson patent application mysteriously dubbed “Mobile Terminal,” what we have here is a bracelet mobile phone concept, sort of reminiscent of LG’s infamous GD910 watch phone. This one’s got some added fun in the form of keys on the side of the wristband for a fuller typing experience. Like we said, it’s never going to happen, but that won’t really stop us from hoping.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson bracelet phone concept unearthed in patent app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As expected, the new Apple iPhone 3GS is out. We were right: The photos of the new iPhone were real. Here you have a comprehensive guide to the iPhone 3GS’ new features:

Speed
The “S” stands for “SPEED!” And according to Apple, it is faster launching applications or rendering Web pages.

• The iPhone 3GS has a new processor built-in. Apple claims that it is up to two times faster than the previous generation: Launching messages is 2.1 faster, load the NY Times in Safari: 2.9 times faster. It also consumes less, which has an impact on the improved battery life.

Camera
This is one of the strong points of the iPhone 3GS, according to Apple. They increased the resolution to 3 megapixels, which—judging from the shots they showed-seems much better quality under all conditions.

• 3 Megapixels sensor.
• New camera, with auto focus, auto exposure, and auto white balance.
• You can also tap to focus, changing white balance in the process. That is really neat, if you ask me.
• Special macro and low light modes.
• The camera also supports photo and video geotagging.
• Any application can access all the camera functions now.

• It supports video, 30 frames per second VGA with auto focus, auto white balance, and auto exposure.
• You can trim the video shot just using your finger, then share it via MMS, email, MobileMe and YouTube.

Connectivity
The other part of the “S” is the support for the faster 7.2 Mbps 3G standard, which in theory will deliver data faster to your iPhone.

• Three band UMTS/HSDPA.
• Four band GSM/EDGE.
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g.
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Graphics
• The new iPhone 3GS includes new 3D graphics support in hardware. This means faster and more complicated 3D games.
• Same 3.5-inch widescreen multitouch display, but this time it has a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. I wonder if it will withstand a full frontal Shake Shack burger attack.

Design

• Same design as before, including the glossy finish of the back (so much for all the rumors about the matte back.)
• Same size as the old iPhone 3G: 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches.
• The weight increases a bit: One ounce to 4.8 ounces (135 grams vs 133 grams).
• Greener materials: Arsenic-free glass, BDF-free, Mercury-free LCD.

New special features
• It has a magnetometer, which works with a Compass application, third parties, and it is integrated into the new Google maps app, showing your orientation with a small semitransparent cone.
• Voice control. You can now talk with your iPhone, Enterprise-style. You can instruct it to play similar songs to the one you are playing, or call people.
• Nike + support built in.
• Supports accessibility features, like zooming on text, inverting video, and voice over when you touch whatever text is on screen.

Battery life
• One of the more important new features is the increased battery life.
• According to Apple, you will get up to 12 hours of talk time on 2G and 5 on 3G, with a up to 300 hour standby time.
• On 3G, it will deliver 5 hours of internet use.
• On Wi-Fi, Internet goes up to 9 hours.
• Video playback is 10 hours vs 30 hours for audio.

Price and availability
• $199 for 16GB version.
• $299 for 32GB version.
• Available on June 19th.

If you are “a valued AT&T customer,” AT&T offers an “early iPhone upgrade with a new 2-yr commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.” The price? $399.00 for the 16GB iPhone 3G S and $499.00 for the 32GB iPhone 3G S. It gets worse: For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).

Insane. Way to go AT&T.

It may be a Japan exclusive for now, but Hitachi’s Mobile Hi-Vision Cam Wooo has folks drooling from sea to shining sea. The cats over at Akihabara News were able to take a glimpse while KDDI unveiled its summer lineup, and they seemed to be quite impressed with the video quality and ease of use. Check the read link for a video of the flip phone in action, but remember, don’t get too attached unless you call Japan home.

Filed under: Cellphones

Hitachi’s 720p Mobile Hi-Vision Cam Wooo gets hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson’s finance team may figure that it needs a wheelbarrow full of cold, hard cash in order to steamroll through the next decade, but we know better than that. What it needs, friends, is Android, and in the worst possible way. At a launch event over in Taiwan this week, SE Asia-Pacific’s vice president of marketing Peter Ang was quoted as saying that the outfit’s first Android-based smartphone would actually be humming along on Android 2.0. So, there are two ways to take this: one is that Android 2.0 is just around the bend, which would totally rule, but is absolutely unrealistic to believe. The other, more feasible possibility is that SE’s first Android-based phone won’t hit the market until your next grandchild is born, which definitely doesn’t bode well for a handset maker that can’t possibly reinvent itself soon enough.

[Via Slashphone]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson drops clues on Android 2.0-based smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 08:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t expect this to be indicative of any near-term projects for the now financially hindered phone maker, but one of Sony Ericsson’s recently unearthed patents paves the way for some interesting uses. From what we gather, while listening to music on your device, a picture of your face would be taken. That image would then be run through software that interprets your mood, and an appropriate next song based on those emotions would be picked — so much for the art of mixtapes. Presumably, it’d also require a phone or device with a camera mounted on the same side as the screen, so unless mobile video conferencing takes off in a huge way, we can’t see people paying extra for a phone or device with this configuration. And if you just got dumped over SMS, we hope it doesn’t intepret those tears as a good time to play that Damien Rice song you two fell in love with. Hit up the read link for the full patent details.

[Via Slash Gear]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

Sony Ericsson’s facial recognition patent plays the perfect song to complement your mood originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 23:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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