One of the most important things to me in terms of purchasing a new cell phone is how well it could be used on the Internet. Long before the iPhone, I wanted a device that gave me full e-mail and Web support so that I could always be connected wherever I was, but whenever I took a look at some of the available devices on the market, I was never completely impressed. A few of them came close to delivering the results I wanted, but in the end, they just didn’t do the job. Of course, all of this changed when the iPhone came along.

I have to admit, I was slightly skeptical about the abilities of the iPhone when it was first announced, but after it was released and I was able to try and buy one, I realized that it was the best thing to ever happen to mobile Web browsing. I honestly can’t imagine using any other mobile device to surf the Web now that I’ve seen what the iPhone has to offer in this area.

Because of this functionality, it only makes sense that people are using their iPhones to do a lot more than simply call their friends and family. For the first time ever, people are actually enjoying the ability to use the Internet on a mobile device, and even though it’s not as quick and convenient as a regular desktop or notebook computer, they’re spending more time accessing the Internet on the iPhone. The iPhone is still a relatively new product, but how many people are using it to surf the Internet in comparison to other mobile platforms? Once again, Net Applications has some answers for us, and the numbers shocked me.

First of all, the most active operating systems on the Internet are going to be the major operating systems for desktops and notebooks like Windows, OS X, and Linux, but their mobile counterparts are making a name for themselves as well. According to Net Applications, the percentage of users browsing the Internet on the iPhone and its embedded OS X operating system is .09% while the percentage of users browsing the Internet on all Windows Mobile devices combined is .06%. Therefore, the iPhone wins under these circumstances.

I’ve used Windows Mobile before, and I can tell you from personal experience that using the Internet on that platform is not exactly pleasant. It’s better than what some of the other platforms offer, but it still doesn’t compare to the iPhone in any way, and the numbers show that. As we continue to make the move to a more mobile and connected world, Internet access is going to be tied into almost everything that we do on our cell phones and other mobile devices, and Windows Mobile is going to have to provide a better online experience if Microsoft hopes to get more of their users to actually use Windows Mobile to access the Internet, because right now, the platform just doesn’t do the trick.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at OSWeekly.com. For more computer news, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to OSWeekly.com’s RSS Feed!

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Ever since the early news came out that Google was working on some sort of mobile phone (or gPhone, if you will), there’s been a lot of speculation about what it would actually be like. Google has pretty much been involved in every type of technology project known to mankind, so it only makes sense that they would officially make the jump to a more active and visible involvement in the mobile platform space as well. Now that official details have emerged, the speculation is over, and we can now peek behind the curtain and see what this Google phone thing is all about.

First of all, instead of focusing on releasing one specific phone that contains Google branding inside and out at this time, Google is actually a part of the Open Handset Alliance which contains 34 members from the technology and mobile industries (such as NVIDIA, Intel, and Motorola) that are dedicated to building a better mobile experience together. Google may be huge, but there are plenty of other big and important members of this group that all specialize in various things, and when you combine that knowledge into one effort, then the results are sure to be pretty spectacular.

They’ve released a mobile platform called Android, and not only is it free, but it’s built on Linux and completely open source. An early look at the SDK will be available soon, and handsets are expected to be out in the second half of 2008.

I have to say, this is pretty exciting, and when you consider the fact that all of these huge companies are working together on something like this, then you realize that the waves of change are upon us. Good things will come from this, and there’s no doubt about that.

So much attention has been focused on Google in relation to this project, and there’s an important reason for that. Some would say that Google already has a version of the Google phone, thanks to their involvement with the iPhone, and with Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube integration, those are valid comments. The phone may be developed by Apple, but Google is obviously a part of it.

How could Google work with and support Apple on the iPhone and then be a part of the Open Handset Alliance that is about everything that the iPhone platform wasn’t from the beginning? For example, the SDK for Android is going to be in the hands of developers before the handsets are even released to ensure that they know what they’ll need to develop applications that take full advantage of what this open and free platform can do. Does that sound like the iPhone to you? Unsurprisingly, Apple and AT&T are not a part of this alliance. Google is definitely playing both sides of the field on this one.

It seems as if Apple made public the news about a release of an iPhone SDK in anticipation of this news. It’s almost as if there will be a showdown between Apple and this Open Handset Alliance. Who will win? All I can say is that even though it may be open source, this Android project is really going to have to blow me away if it’s going to make me think about giving up my iPhone for even one second.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

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The iPhone is finally here after months of waiting, and reviews are pouring in. The overall consensus is that the iPhone delivers on a lot of its hype, and is worth the price tag. Whew! At least Apple dodged that bullet. However, there are still a few quirks with the first-generation of Apple’s wonder phone, but that’s to be expected. Any company, including Apple, knows it has to improve the iPhone now that it has seen user reaction to the first-generation product.

If there is something that really annoys you about the iPhone, such as its lack of a physical keyboard or its compatibility with AT&T EDGE network, then I would highly recommend you wait for the second-generation to show up. As is the case with Apple, the second-generation of iPhone should be here within the next year or so, and if the rumors are correct, then Apple is already working on a second-generation iPhone. What a bummer for people who stood in lines for hours only to realize their latest gadget is already obsolete!

Of course, some of the changes may never happen. For instance, I wouldn’t expect the iPhone to have a physical keyboard in its future releases, but hey, maybe that’s something that we might all have to get used to. After all, in addition to Apple, Nokia, LG and a slew of other companies are jumping on the touchscreen bandwagon, and it may not be long before Palm and RIM with their Treo and BlackBerry (I’m looking at you businesspeople) come with their own versions. This could be the future of smartphones for all we know, even for professionals on the go. With that said, early reviewers reported some issues with the keyboard initially, so it’s a good possibility that the second-generation of iPhone will be better at text input with a robust autocorrect feature. I wouldn’t underestimate Apple.

All in all, Apple’s iPhone has been amazingly successful, and it’s nice to see that our hopes weren’t destroyed even with the first-generation. It’s not too often you see companies deliver on their promise, but when it does happen, companies like Apple win our hearts. CoolTechZone.com’s iPhone is on its way, please check back in the near future to get our opinion on Apple’s latest gadget. And those of you were lucky enough to get one on the launch date, enjoy it before the first set of problems begins to appear.

[Gundeep Hora]

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: iphone, apple

As we get closer to iPhone’s launch day, perhaps the most anticipated gadget of 2007, you have to wonder how the launch will play out. If PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii launches were any indications, you can bet the iPhone launch will put the console launches to shame. With Apple getting ready to ship millions of units across the U.S. and AT&T ready to control the craziness with 2,000 newly recruited troops on the frontline, it’s going to be quite a spectacle.

Needless to say, a lot of people will be disappointed for a variety of reasons, and for quite some time. If they are lucky enough to score one from the first batch of iPhones, they better hope it’s not a faulty device. Not only is iPhone going to be in limited supply for some time, it’s going to be disheartening to score an iPhone and wait a few weeks to get a replacement in. If Apple’s history is anything to go by, you can bet some early adopters will be unfortunate to secure a faulty iPhone and deal with Apple accordingly. Of course, that’s only a viable option if you happen to get your hands on one.

The real question is: will you be one of the lucky ones to get the iPhone on the launch date? For a lot of you, the answer is an obvious no. And that’s where the disappointment lies. With disappointment, I sure hope people don’t go overboard with the iPhone launch and go on a crime spree that’s a little too familiar to us now.

Either way you look at it, iPhone’s launch is expected to make headlines and TV appearances as Apple and AT&T Stores nationwide prep themselves for the most hyped product in recent history. It’s undoubtedly going to be crazier than what we have experienced before, but it’ll be under control for the most part. People will be people, but both companies are ready to control the crowd should it ever come to that. Apple stores are packed with more than enough employees to manage the crowd, and AT&T has just hired a force of 2,000 new iPhone officers to take charge of the situation on iDay.

What remains to be seen now is whether or not the hype is justified, and if users will make this a memorable product launch for the tech industry.

[Gundeep Hora]

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: smartphone, iphone, smart phone, apple, at&t

All right, well, this is interesting. The Motorola RAZR V9m is the entry level model of the three phones: V8, V9, and V9m. You would think that the V8 would take over the entry level spot, but apparently the model numbers are assigned in an interestingly odd way. We would be interested to hear Motorola’s response to the naming scheme, as it isn’t clear. Either way, the V9m is more or less a disappointment after you look at V8 and V9.

The outer appeal of the V series is still present with the V9m, but it doesn’t have as much glamour associated with it as V8 and V9. On the memory front, thankfully, the V9m is better than V9 with 128MB shared (60-80MB end user) memory, and a MicroSD expansion slot. Motorola also used a less speedy chip at 225MHz compared to the 500MHz with V8 and V9 models.

Then there’s the 2.0-megapixel fixed focus camera with video playback limited to 15fps and no support for additional video formats. The onboard browser is limited to WAP 2.0, but interestingly enough, it has support for EV-DO. How odd is that?

Touch sensitive front display controls are available for music and navigation.

It’s definitely the low-end of the three models, but it has a couple of high-end features that seriously makes us question Motorola’s product managers. The added onboard storage is a plus, and so is the integration of EV-DO. How come these options weren’t available in the other two models?

We’ll report back on the phone’s performance as we get it in our labs for an evaluation. Check back soon for a detailed analysis of each device.

[Gundeep Hora]

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: razr, razr v9m, razr v9, razr v8, phone

All right, this is not fun. RIM recently added the BlackBerry Curve 8300 into its product mix, and what’s annoying is the updated version is now available only after a few months of the original 8800. For you 8800 users, we feel your pain. However, let’s be a little more positive. The BlackBerry Curve 8300 is the next version of the 8800 series from RIM, and interestingly enough, it combines the features from the Pearl 8100 and 8800 and turns them into a device that’s a hybrid of the two. That’s cool.

The BlackBerry Curve 8300 is nearly identical to the 8800, so we’ll leave the obvious add-ons alone here. What’s been added is a 2.0-megapixel camera with built-in flash and digital zoom. You can even upload the photos directly to your Flickr account with Yahoo Go! right from the phone. RIM has partnered with Yahoo! (and Google) for a couple of interesting features, which are fairly evident with the Curve 8300.

Once you get over the camera feature, then there’s onboard instant messengers from, you guessed it, Yahoo! and Google. Unlike the 8800 that lacked instant messengers, which we were told to be carrier-only options, apparently that’s not the case anymore. Interesting, indeed.

Maps, Calendar, Voice Calling, Browser, Tethered Modem connectivity, onboard GPS, and the rest of the features are available as well.

The BlackBerry Curve 8300 even sports a much better looking keyboard with space in between the keys to make typing easier. Talk about learning a quick lesson.

Unfortunately, Wi-Fi is still nowhere to be seen on the 8800 series, and frankly, it’s starting to get annoying. How many BlackBerries does a sane person need to go through before he gets a device with Wi-Fi compatibility? C’mon RIM, give us a break here, will you?

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8300 is expected to be available soon.

[Gundeep Hora]

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: blackberry, curve 8300, pearl 8100, rim

Usage of Opera Mini, the Web browser for mobile phones, continues to grow worldwide. With more than 15 million cumulative users, Opera Mini is the most popular downloadable Java software for mobile phones.

“With more than six million Java technology developers and 1.8 billion Java technology-enabled mobile handsets, the Java technology ecosystem continues to expand. Opera Mini has distinguished itself in this landscape and is succeeding to penetrate the market, making a great proof point of the ongoing vitality of the Java technology development community,” says Jean Elliott, senior director Client Software Group product marketing, Sun Microsystems.

“We’re proud of Opera Mini’s award winning usability, but ultimately it’s a popular application because it is useful to everyone,” says Tatsuki Tomita, EVP, Opera Software. “We wrote Opera Mini in Java technology so that we could bring the full Internet to the largest number of mobile phones around the world.”

People in Russia and the United States are the most prolific users of Opera Mini, with the Chinese a close third. In total, more than 5,2 billion Web pages have been viewed with the easy-to-use browser from Opera Software. Opera Mini, available for free at Operamini.com, brings the full Web to nearly any mobile phone, from advanced smartphones to simple, mass market handsets. Any Java technology-enabled phone can run Opera Mini. Web pages are compressed on a remote server and delivered to the phone for fast and rich Web browsing. By enabling all services and content from the Web, the interest and cases for using Opera Mini are nearly limitless.

Leading operators and handset manufacturers have already realized the great potential of Opera Mini. For example, T-Mobile and Telefonica Moviles de Espana selected Opera Mini to provide their users with the best possible Internet experience on a mobile phone.

Welcoming beta testers

Enhanced navigation is the next step in the evolution of mobile Web browsing. That’s exactly what Opera’s developers are exploring for the next version of Opera Mini. Opera Software invites everyone to sign up for testing the beta version of the upcoming Opera Mini. Please submit your email address here. Testers will be notified by email at a later stage and asked to submit their views of the Opera Mini beta via an online form.

“Opera Mini allows me to access crucial information more easily on the road. It works all over the world, so whether I am at work or holidaying in Australia, I have access to all the information I need,” says Leila (24), an Opera Mini user living in London.

Tags: opera mini, mobile application, mobile internet, mobile browser, mobile browsing

Dutch researcher Paulette Prins has demonstrated that plastic does not have to be a poorer conductor than present-day semi-conductors. This opens up the way for a revolution in consumer electronics: mobile phones and MP3 players will soon survive being dropped.

Just imagine it. Consumer products that do not break if accidentally dropped, devices with flexible screens that can be rolled up, and products becoming a lot cheaper. Up until now it was a mere pipe dream. The limiting factor is the chips in such devices. These need to conduct electricity and plastic chips fail to make the grade. Plastic conducts at least 1000 times less well than the current generation of semi-conductors.

Prins showed that specially developed plastic can conduct just as well as existing semiconductors.

Chains
Conduction occurs when charge moves through the material. Prins discovered that in plastics, the movement of charge was mainly hindered by the structure of the material. Plastic is built up from polymers, which consist of complex chains. The greatest hindrances for conduction were the ends of the chains, fractures in the chains, and the chaos in and along the chains.

A German group of researchers rebuilt the chains. They formed a polymer with a relatively fixed, ladder-like structure. Prins made clever use of this. This polymer was found to conduct 1000 times better than had previously been shown for plastics.
Technologies

The combination of simulations and advanced techniques makes Prins’ research unique. She bombarded the material with electrons from a particle accelerator, which enabled her to study the rapid reactions in the plastic to an accuracy of 100 microseconds.

Subsequently she determined the conductance of the polymers by measuring the microwave absorption. This avoided the need to use electrodes. Such electrodes often disrupt the measurement. Prins published some of her findings in the leading journal Physical Review Letters.

Prins’ research was funded by NWO.

Tags: mobile, durability, plastic, damage, drop

Paul Bishop of the Seattle P-I reports:

More than two decades after leaving Microsoft Corp., Paul Allen still has designs on the computer business. But this time, hes aiming for something smaller.

To be precise, its less than 6 inches wide and weighs just about a pound and a half.Its a miniature computer, dubbed FlipStart, and its slated for release later this month, after years of development. The device rests on the palm but looks like a tiny laptop, contains a 30-gigabyte hard drive and runs full-fledged software on a microprocessor good enough for a traditional desktop computer.

Although a bit pricey for the average business, let alone the average user, competition is definitely starting to heat up in this space. I’ll stick with a BlackBerry or SmartPhone for now, but as these get smaller yet keep the power of a full PC I’ll be keeping a close eye out. There was a concept device I read about years ago where an individual would carry around a PDA-sized device that was their entire computer system and they would dock into various devices as needed. Standalone, it was a phone and PDA. Plugged into a docking station, it was a full PC. Plugged into the car, it was a fully connected GPS, and so on. Cool, eh?

Tags: paul allen, microsoft, flipstart, ultra-mobile pc

Today, Icebreaker Inc. announced the launch of Crush or Flush, the dating platform designed first and foremost for cell phones. Crush or Flush provides an easy way to flirt, chat, and meet real people with similar interests in your area - right from your cell phone. If you see a picture profile of someone you like, you “crush” them. If you aren’t impressed, you “flush” them. Most important, Crush or Flush basic services are free, helping many visitors hook up their friends or just have fun viewing picture profiles.

Crush or Flush allows users to sign up using any cell phone or computer. You create a profile, upload a face picture, and choose or create some tags that describe you (e.g. UCLA, yoga, chocolate, travel). Once registered, users can browse picture profiles based on age range, city, and interests, all for free. Every word, link, and graphic has been engineered to be simple and intuitive on even the smallest cell phone. For example, all Crush or Flush profiles are optimized for mobile viewing with face pictures and browseable tags. Unlike other “search-oriented” mobile dating applications, our community authored tag library makes it fun and easy to browse profiles by interests.

Safety and privacy are top priorities for IceBreaker, Inc. - users’ cell phone numbers, names, and addresses are private, and people can only see the profile you create. When you and someone else have a mutual crush, you chat anonymously. “Unlike traditional dating sites where members can hide behind multiple profiles, on Crush or Flush you can only have one profile that is tied to your cell phone number,” says Eric Hennings, CTO and co-founder, IceBreaker Inc. “If someone causes a problem we will block his or her number and that person will disappear from Crush or Flush.” The only time a user is notified is when a mutual crush has been made, at which time the users can be connected to chat anonymously within the application and without having to swap phone numbers. This eliminates the problem of users being solicited by people they are not into. Finally, if a profile has been flushed, there is no notification, so the rejection factor is taken away, ensuring a good experience for everyone.

Crush or Flush is entertaining and addictive. It can be used to flirt, chat, and meet new people or to play “matchmaker” for those who want to hook up their friends. The mobile software features “Tell a Friend” technology which allows users to send profiles via text message directly to a friend’s cell phone, with no download necessary. Users can pass along those irresistible profiles with one click - because sometimes no words are needed.

“Crush or Flush is the ideal way for busy people to make connections rather than being tied to their computer and playing the email tag game,” says Michael Robinson, CEO and co-founder, IceBreaker Inc. “Half the fun is the search and the initial romance of finding someone with whom you click. Crush or Flush brings back the spontaneity and romance of flirting.”

To begin flirting, please visit Crush or Flush!

Tags: crush or flush, flirt, mobile date, mobile dating, cell phone, matchmaker, icebreaker

Apple today introduced iPhone, combining three products - a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, Web browsing, searching and maps - into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting users control iPhone with just their fingers. iPhone also ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.

“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We are all born with the ultimate pointing device - our fingers - and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”

iPhone is a Revolutionary Mobile Phone
iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows users to make calls by simply pointing at a name or number. iPhone syncs all of your contacts from your PC, Mac or Internet service such as Yahoo!, so that you always have your full list of up-to-date contacts with you. In addition, you can easily construct a favorites list for your most frequently made calls, and easily merge calls together to create conference calls.

iPhone’s pioneering Visual Voicemail, an industry first, lets users look at a listing of their voicemails, decide which messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to the prior messages. Just like email, iPhone’s Visual Voicemail enables users to immediately randomly access those messages that interest them most.

iPhone includes an SMS application with a full QWERTY soft keyboard to easily send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions. When users need to type, iPhone presents them with an elegant touch keyboard which is predictive to prevent and correct mistakes, making it much easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones. iPhone also includes a calendar application that allows calendars to be automatically synced with your PC or Mac.

iPhone features a 2 megapixel camera and a photo management application that is far beyond anything on a phone today. Users can browse their photo library, which can be easily synced from their PC or Mac, with just a flick of a finger and easily choose a photo for their wallpaper or to include in an email.

iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone which also features EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies for data networking. Apple has chosen Cingular, the best and most popular carrier in the US with over 58 million subscribers, to be Apple’s exclusive carrier partner for iPhone in the US.

iPhone is a Widescreen iPod
iPhone is a widescreen iPod with touch controls that lets music lovers “touch” their music by easily scrolling through entire lists of songs, artists, albums and playlists with just a flick of a finger. Album artwork is stunningly presented on iPhone’s large and vibrant display.

iPhone also features Cover Flow, Apple’s amazing way to browse your music library by album cover artwork, for the first time on an iPod. When navigating your music library on iPhone, you are automatically switched into Cover Flow by simply rotating iPhone into its landscape position.

iPhone’s stunning 3.5-inch widescreen display offers the ultimate way to watch TV shows and movies on a pocketable device, with touch controls for play-pause, chapter forward-backward and volume. iPhone plays the same videos purchased from the online iTunes Store that users enjoy watching on their computers and iPods, and will soon enjoy watching on their widescreen televisions using the new Apple TV. The iTunes Store now offers over 350 television shows, over 250 feature films and over 5,000 music videos.

iPhone lets users enjoy all their iPod content, including music, audiobooks, audio podcasts, video podcasts, music videos, television shows and movies. iPhone syncs content from a user’s iTunes library on their PC or Mac, and can play any music or video content they have purchased from the online iTunes store.

iPhone is a Breakthrough Internet Communications Device
iPhone features a rich HTML email client which fetches your email in the background from most POP3 or IMAP mail services and displays photos and graphics right along with the text. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can be reading a Web page while downloading your email in the background.

Yahoo! Mail, the world’s largest email service with over 250 million users, is offering a new free “push” IMAP email service to all iPhone users that automatically pushes new email to a user’s iPhone, and can be set up by simply entering your Yahoo! name and password. iPhone will also work with most industry standard IMAP and POP based email services, such as Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail and most ISP mail services.

iPhone also features the most advanced and fun-to-use Web browser on a portable device with a version of its award-winning Safari Web browser for iPhone. Users can see any Web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then easily zoom in to expand any section by simply tapping on iPhone’s multi-touch display with their finger. Users can surf the Web from just about anywhere over Wi-Fi or EDGE, and can automatically sync their bookmarks from their PC or Mac. iPhone’s Safari Web browser also includes built-in Google Search and Yahoo! Search so users can instantly search for information on their iPhone just like they do on their computer.

iPhone also includes Google Maps, featuring Google’s groundbreaking maps service and iPhone’s amazing maps application, offering the best maps experience by far on any pocket device. Users can view maps, satellite images, traffic information and get directions, all from iPhone’s remarkable and easy-to-use touch interface.

iPhone’s Advanced Sensors
iPhone employs advanced built-in sensors - an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor - that automatically enhance the user experience and extend battery life. iPhone’s built-in accelerometer detects when the user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display accordingly, with users immediately seeing the entire width of a Web page, or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio.

iPhone’s built-in proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until iPhone is moved away. iPhone’s built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone will be available in the US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008, in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac. iPhone will be sold in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores, and through Cingular’s retail and online stores. Several iPhone accessories will also be available in June, including Apple’s new remarkably compact Bluetooth headset.

iPhone includes support for quad-band GSM, EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR wireless technologies.

iPhone requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later and iTunes 7; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2). Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended. Apple and Cingular will announce service plans for iPhone before it begins shipping in June.

Learn More About iPhone
To learn more about iPhone, please visit Apple.com or watch the video of the iPhone introduction.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online store.

Tags: iphone, apple, itunes, ipod, bluetooth, communication, mobile, sms, cingular

AmpedMail, a consumer company specializing in hands free emailing and online social networks, has launched a free email service that allows everyone to hear and send their emails by phone. Users can listen to emails from their inbox and dictate emails to be sent over any phone: work phone, landline, or cell phone for free.

This is a free way to do all emailing by phone. To check out this concept in getting and sending email take a quick visit to AmpedMail.com. AmpedMail.com is bringing its successful brand of total connectivity to all Internet users through a new online social network. Users can share important information as soon as it happens and respond immediately.

AmpedMail provides a hands free email service, which means the user never has to pay to download emails and an online social network. It can be used by people of all ages. Users can check airline reservations by calling and checking their email on the phone. If students at school need to send a quick email, all they have to do is call AmpedMail. This is the wave of the future that phone and email users have wanted and needed for years.

“Helping people hear and be heard anytime and anywhere furthers our goal of providing the best audio emailing experience. We want to listen to our users and take their feedback to build innovative features into the AmpedMail platform,” says Jazzy Singh, CEO, AmpedMail.com.

To save those thumbs, just speak and hear emails. Users can listen to and dictate their emails from their computer while doing work around the house. Like a jukebox, emails will play back one by one in order.

AmpedMail.com is a completely free email service and totally ready for use. Just two clicks to freedom from cell phone downloading charges and having to type and read emails. Hear and be heard.

At AmpedMail Hookups, AmpedMail’s online social network, users can search other users’ profiles that can be accessed and answered over the phone. Stay in touch with your online friends, even when not near a computer, check to see who is online or if someone sent a message. Sports and news are ramping up to become additions to the AmpedMail, free email service platform.

Tags: ampedmail, ampedmail hookups, online social network, email, cell phone, mobile

Mobio Networks today announced the availability of Mobile Movie Times, the first mobile application that enables moviegoers to find local movie details and buy tickets on their handsets in three clicks or less. The free service launch is in conjunction with Universal Picture’s Nov. 17 release of Let’s Go To Prison.

Mobile Movie Times takes the hassle out of watching the hottest new films this holiday season, by mashing up Web services needed to get movie listings, reviews, maps and buy tickets by phone. Users can quickly search, purchase and have their tickets ready and waiting for them when they arrive at the theater. Mobile Movie Tickets is the first movie application that gives individuals the “tastiest bits of the Web” in three clicks or less - with minimal to no data entry required.

“Most mobile services are clumsy and counterintuitive because they are not built to recognize the individual’s personal preferences or location,” said Ramneek Bhasin, Founder and CEO of Mobio Networks. “We have developed a highly personalized user experience that is tailored to the individual’s tastes, demographic and geographic information. Unlike other mobile services, Mobile Movie Times feels like it knows the user.”

Mobile Movie Times is powered by a proprietary technology called Context Synchronized Start (XSS) that imbeds users’ preferences, so that when they launch the application only the pertinent information is displayed based on their profile. XSS also automatically delivers synchronized information based on highly relevant factors such as time of day and the user’s location.

Visit getmobio.com to download Mobile Movie Times. Also add Mobio as a MySpace friend here.

Tags: mobio, getmobio, mobile movie times, movie list, ramneek bhasin

Fractus, the pioneer developer of fractal antenna technology, has launched a suite of DVB-H internal antenna solutions for all three mobile TV frequencies; VHF (200MHz), UHF (600MHz) and L-band (1.4GHz). Fractus offers a fully customised internal antenna solution for 200MHz, and a customised and integrated solution for 600MHz and 1.4GHz. The TVNow range also includes a modular and compact standard antenna for 600MHz and 1.4GHz, with a size of just 40 x 4.8 x 5mm3, that can reduce mobile TV handset size by as much as 25 percent. This innovation in mobile TV also works for the ISDB-H standard used in Japan and Brazil.

“Mobile TV represents one of the greatest challenges for handset design today,” said Josep Puig, Fractus Director, Mobile Handset Antennas. “Fractus provides the technical performance and the size reduction necessary to enable mobile TV in both existing form factors and completely new DVB-H/ISDB-H handset platforms.”

Implementing mobile television in handsets raises major antenna design challenges including interference from overlapping frequencies including GSM and UMTS, and differing effects of users’ hands and body positions on device performance when viewing the TV screen (usually towards the lap) or making phone calls (usually against the head) on mobile devices.

A problem with a traditional antenna design approach for low frequencies such as the 200MHz band is that the antenna required is longer than the handset. A recently launched UK mobile TV handset for example uses the headphone cable as the antenna, rendering the device useless without the headphones.

Fractus technology enables a fully customised antenna discretely housed within the handset, no matter what the mobile TV frequency.

For UHF and L-band, Fractus has a modular TVNow antenna that can be applied in existing handsets or new platforms enabling up to 25 percent reductions in handset size compared to other antennas. The modular antenna is the only SMT (Surface Mounted Technology) design currently available and helps OEMs and ODMs reduce product development costs and time to market.

Tags: fractus, tvnow, mobile tv antenna, handset size, modular antenna, smt, surface mounted technology

Vizrea today announced its new next generation social network service that lets people share their life from anywhere. With Vizrea, users can now share their photos, videos, blogs, and podcasts with friends and family, privately or publicly by mobile, PC, or the Web. On 3G and other high speed networks, Vizrea additionally provides access to PC-based music content on mobile phones - providing a way for users to listen to songs in their digital library anywhere.
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Penn State researchers have developed a new algorithm which enables cell-phone users to fetch data from music to TV shows as quickly as feasible with minimal channel switches.

With the computing technique, mobile devices can pick up data that may have been “missed” when first broadcast, thereby alleviating the wait for subsequent broadcast cycles. Because it minimizes channel switching, the new algorithm also reduces power use, thereby extending battery life.

“Currently, mobile devices retrieve broadcast data similar to how TV viewers watch TV shows simultaneously broadcast-by switching channels,” said Prasenjit Mitra, assistant professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).”But with our algorithm, cell-phone users don’t have to wait for fewer broadcast cycles to retrieve the data as the mobile device can pick up objects broadcast across parallel air channels.”

The technique is described in a paper, “Efficient Object Retrieval from Parallel Air Channels in the Presence of Replicated Objects,” that appears in the proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Mobile Data Management, held in Japan in May. The other authors are Padmapriya Ayyagari, an IST graduate student, and Ali Hurson, a professor of computer science.

According to the researchers, data dissemination for mobile devices now occurs through one of two techniques: unicast, which is common when data is sent to a single person, and broadcast, when data is sent to multiple people over parallel air channels. Broadcast is more common when the same content such as emergency alerts, weather information or television shows reaches multiple people.

But the algorithm currently used can’t take advantage of data that is broadcast repeatedly on different channels. Instead the data has to be broadcast in cycles. This is both time and power consuming.

“If you can retrieve all the data you want in fewer broadcast cycles, then the user saves on time and battery power,” Mitra said. “The power-consumption reduction is achieved because the technique fetches all the objects requested by a client while minimizing the number of channel switches required.”

As part of their study, the researchers developed and compared the performance of the four kinds of algorithms-greedy, random, branch-and-bound and select first-that could be used to improve object retrieval and reduce power consumption. Of these, the researchers’ greedy algorithms created an efficient and quick solution to object retrieval that also decreased battery drain.

The researchers are continuing to explore algorithms for mobile data retrieval and anticipate developing additional ones that will even further reduce power consumption and time, Mitra said.

Is there anything that’s not going to be incorporated into your cell phone at some time or another? This time, it’s your wallet. Eileen Ng of The Associated Press (via The Seattle Post-Intelligencer) writes:
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Skype, the global Internet communications company, today announced license agreements for worldwide distribution rights to potentially hundreds of thousands of musical works as ringtones for Skype. The agreements are with three major music publishing companies - EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and Warner/Chappell Music - and the UK’s collecting society for author/publisher rights, the MCPS-PRS Alliance. The new licenses will allow Skype to lawfully distribute master tones from the roster of current partner Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG). World-renowned recording artists from Warner Music Group can now be downloaded as ringtones to Skype users in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland and within weeks to the rest of Skype’s more than 94.6 million registered users worldwide. This publishing alliance will also pave the way for agreements with additional music recording companies.
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I haven’t had a landline in years (and haven’t missed it, except for the time I needed to set up our TiVo - which isn’t even an issue any longer since TiVos can be set up on a network now as I’ve discovered thanks to a good number of you fine Gnomies out there), so I don’t know what’s taken these wacky Finns so long! Matti Huuhtanen of the Associated Press (via The Seattle Post-Intelligencer) reports:

The Finnish town of Nokia, left in the shadow of its more famous namesake company, is going mobile.

Nokia’s municipal workers will be given cellular handsets to replace their landline phones in a move aimed at improving communication, officials said.

“People will be able to call direct to officials’ mobile phones,” said Martin Andersson, the town’s project leader for information technology. “The main aim is to make employees more reachable.”

The town of 28,000 in southern Finland, where Nokia Corp. started 140 years ago as a wood-pulp mill, will provide 1,300 municipal employees with mobile handsets by June, when their landline numbers will automatically connect to cell phones.

Switching to mobile phones will also save landline phone costs and will not be more expensive for customers calling town officials, Andersson said…

Tags: cell phone, nokia, finland, landline, martin andersson, municipal employees

An amusing article in the Chicago Sun Times Online Edition tells you how to become completely inseparable from your phone.

After a short boast about his cell phone’s prowess, which I found hilarious, Andy Ihnatko clues us in to which mobile sites are the most essential and how to access them.

Google is supposed to sense that you’re using a mobile phone and automatically steer you to its mobile edition, but if not, just manually enter www.google.com/xhtml.

If your phone can run Java apps, Google offers you an even greater delight: a downloadable J2ME tool that makes Google Local as interactive on your phone as it is on your desktop. Access maps.

Scroll, zoom, check out satellite imagery, get directions. It’s the next-best thing to having a color GPS navigator — and it’s free, free, free. Download it straight to your phone from www.google.com/glm.