SE’s patent for transformer phone

The US Patent Office has got a patent application from Sony Ericsson. The project describes a mobile phone with two detachable connected housings. The idea can be implemented in a clamshell, slider or a rotator-type phone. The phone consists of two parts: the one with the keypad and the battery (GPS-receiver and camera can go in there too) and the other with the display, some buttons and another battery. Both housings communicate with each other via Bluetooth. The developers believe such design serves two opposite goals – while being compact, it provides a convenient hardware keypad. That is, you can use only the display housing and the rest of the phone put deep in your bag. Besides you can joint two parts with the main display on the inside or outside of phone, when closed.

Apacer player with touch control

Apacer Technology Inc has announced the release of a new MP3-player AU860. In 2007 the AU860 concept was awarded G-Mark – the highest design award in Japan.

The AU860 player is equipped with a 1.8” color LCD, which provides the clear picture. You can control the player with a touch-sensitive panel with blue backlight.

The company draws attention to battery performance. The player can run music for 20 hours continuously due to the special technology. There is an external equalizer button and high quality headphones, which let you listen to the music comfortably.

The player comes with 2 and 4 GB of memory onboard.

Spy pics of Asus M930 smartphone

We’ve already mentioned an upcoming Asus M930 smartphone – a landscape oriented clamshell with two keyboards (numeric and QWERTY) and two displays. This time some spy pics and info have leaked to the Internet from a private presentation in Germany. The specs of Asus M930 agree with the preliminary ones – 2G/3G support, Windows Mobile 6 Standard OS, TI 2431 450 MHz, 2-megapixel camera, wireless modules and so on.

Asus M930 will be shipped in 2Q 2008, its price will range from $500 to $600 depending on the kit.

Toshiba SoftBank 921T – waterproof, hinge display, TV-tuner

It has become a tradition with many Japan’s handset makers to give names of big TV brands to mobile displays and phone image processing systems. For example, Toshiba has equipped its new 921T handset (announced yesterday by SoftBank operator) with a widescreen OLED display called “REGZA”.

This clamshell phone has a waterproof shell, which complies with IPX5, IPX7 standards. Its hinge display can be revolving in two directions. The 921T comes with a TV-tuner receiving “one-segment” digital TV-programs, specially designed for mobile devices.

The short specs of Toshiba 921T:

• National networks only - W-CDMA with HSPDA (up to 3.6 Mbps)
• Dimensions: 51x106x19.4 mm
• Weight: 132 g
• Display: 2.8” widescreen, 240x400 pixels
• microSD cards (up to 2 GB)
• Main camera: 3.24-megapixel, auto focus, image stabilizer
• Camera for video calls: CMOS, 320-kpix
• Connectivity: Bluetooth (stereo sound), IrDA
• Navigation and payment services
• Terrestrial TV programs

Skyfire – the fastest mobile browser

Soon we expect the release of a new free browser for mobile devices called Skyfire. Currently the company is about to release a private beta-version for Windows Mobile smartphones, and later it will add the support of Symbian smartphones. According to Skyfire, the advantage of the new browser is that it implements the same capabilities as PC solutions. The browser supports Flash 9, Ajax, Quicktime, Java, Windows Media and other technologies, so the users can view web-pages on a mobile device quickly and easily. The smartphone screen displays all essential info, including dynamic content, audio and video. Besides the company claims Skyfire features the fastest work speed among other mobile browsers.

Reportedly, the users can participate in tests of the new mobile browser. They need to fill in the registration form on this page and wait for the test start notification.

Sony to update notebook lineup

Sony has launched updated notebooks of the following series: VAIO AR60, FZ30, SZ70, CR30 and TP2 based on Intel Core 2 Duo CPU. Besides most notebooks to be released this year will be equipped with Blu-ray Disc. The senior models of the AR60, FZ30 and SZ70 series will carry 4 GB SDRAM onboard, which should have great effect on their productivity.

Sony highlights the capabilities of the VGN-AR61ZU: it can play HD video, based on Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor, 4GB SDRAM and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB VRAM. The model can also write dual-layer Blu-ray Disc.

Sony VAIO TP2 Home Entertainment Centre is really a home entertainment center. The updated version works on Intel Core 2 Duo T8100. It features Blu-ray Disc Combo and BRAVIA technology, so it can be connected with Sony BRAVIA TV sets. Besides the VAIO TP2 is packed in a stylish black shell.

EazzzY: tiny USB camera

Sungwoo Park has created an original USB called EazzzY. The device indeed features a flash drive size and nothing unnecessary. Packed in a tiny shell it has no room for a viewfinder, a display or buttons except for the main one, the camera button. However this compact solution outpaces all current models and supports direct PC connection via USB. However there are some doubts that such device will ever come to the market and be in demand.

Samsung i900 to see release in September

Mobifrance reports that its insider sources within Samsung hinted at the Samsung i900's release, first facts on which had been leaked into the Web some time ago. According to that data, the i900 is able tap in GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA networks and runs the brand-new Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Among its highlights are a 3,5-inch display with a resolution of 240x400 pixels, 5 Mpix camera, FM-radio, GPS, TV-out, microSD memory expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and WiFi connectivity. The source also provided an image of the communicator based on the Samsung F490's looks - as he claims, the i900 will look along the same lines.



As Mobifrance informs, the Samsung i900 will debut at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and will start shipping in September 2008.

Palm Centro GSM version coming up

The Holland-based PDAshop has posted the info and pics of Palm Centro smartphone for GSM networks. The device has the tag “in stores soon” and the starting price €279. As for the current Palm Centro version it is available from Sprint in the US and meant for CDMA networks.

According to PDAshop.nl, the GSM-Centro will feature:

• Networks - GSM 850/900/1800/1900
• OS - Palm OS 5.4
• Camera – 1.3-megapixel
• 64 MB of onboard memory
• microSD slot for up to 4 GB cards
• Bluetooth 1.2
• Google Maps
• Touchscreen display and QWERTY-keyboard
• Compact size and light weight

Tune your wave with Sony Ericsson handsets

Sony Ericsson has announced two cell phones the R300 Radio and the R306 Radio meant for everyone who likes listening to the radio. The handsets support FM and AM bands. The Sony Ericsson R300 is a candy bar and the R306 – a clamshell, they are designed as a radio receiver with dedicated buttons on the front panel. They can record a piece of a track and set it as a ring tone. Besides there is support for TrackID, which is already par for the course for SE premium handsets: you can record several seconds of a song from an external source and by pushing the button get the info on the title, artist and album. The Sony Ericsson R300 and the R306 can also play music via headphones or built-in speakers, and with the Audio Enhancer button launch 3D sound optimization or increase sound volume.

The specs of Sony Ericsson R300 Radio:

• Networks - GSM/850/900/1800/1900
• Display – 128x160 pixels, 65K colors
• 8 MB of onboard memory
• Bluetooth connectivity
• VGA-camera
• Talk time - 9 hours
• Standby time - 410 hours
• Dimensions – 101x46x12 mm
• Weight - 75 g
• Color - "antique cooper" and "black steel"

The specs of Sony Ericsson R306 Radio:

• Networks - GSM/850/900/1800/1900
• Display – 128x160 pixels, 65K colors
• 5 MB of onboard memory
• Bluetooth connectivity
  
• VGA-camera
• Talk time - 9 hours
• Standby time - 410 hours
• Dimensions – 90x48x16 mm
• Weight - 93 g
• Color - "black coffee" and "white champagne"

Both models will hit the stores in 3Q 2008.

Official announcement of Sony Ericsson T280 and T270

Today Sony Ericsson introduced two inexpensive and stylish cell phones – the T280 and the T270 should meet the needs of different customers. The only difference betwee them is the 1,3 Mpix camera, installed on the T280. These two are meant for business and entertainment (FM-radio and Java games). Being 13 mm thick they are made of lightened metal and glass and offer premium class design for an affordable price.

The short technical specs of the T280/T270:

• Networks: GSM/GPRS 900/1800 (T270i/ T280i) or GSM/GPRS 850/1900 (T270а/ T280а)
• Dimensions: 100x45x13 mm
• Weight: 82 g
• Messages: SMS/MMS
• Camera: 1.3-megapixel (the T280)
• Memory: approx. 10 MB
• Sound: polyphonic ring tones, speaker phone, MP3/AAC support
• FM-radio
• Java
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, WAP 2.0 XHTML
• Misc: alarm clock, calculator, calendar, phone book, stopwatch, schedule, timer

Sony Ericsson T280/T270 will come out in 2Q 2008.

T270 and T280: two simple SE handsets

The Mobil Idnes posted the pics of new SE phones. The T270 and T280 might be announced today. Reportedly, they belong to low-end class like their predecessor Sony Ericsson T250. They are equipped with a 128x160 pixel display and Bluetooth interface. The T280 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera, while the T270 lacks any camera. We expect more details very soon.

Nokia files patent for on-screen QWERTY keyboard

Nokia has filed a patent for a "Mobile device with virtual keyboard", which is designed to solve the problem of placing a full thumbboard on a tiny handset. The idea behind this scheme is to use the abilities of the phone itself to imitate a virtual keyboard, and that's the way it should work: the phone's bundled camera will capture all your fingers' wrigglings on any flat surface, while specially designed sensors will catch sounds or vibrations. Using a desktop cradle you will be able to have your phone in the upright position, although it is not obligatory to use this technology. The patent application also claims that the users will be allowed to just hold his device in the hands and type literally in the air, and just utter certain sounds himself (although it is not very clear how it will work out in real life). The virtual keyboard, along with the user's fingers, will be rendered on the phone's screen in real time, while all entered symbols will be popping up on the screen.

Rumors on Windows-smartphone Samsung i900

On the eve of another official event in the telecoms world we get more rumors about this or that product. This time the Italian source Kataweb has reported that Samsung Electronics will unveil its new Windows smartphone i900 at the upcoming 3GSM show in Barcelona. Taking into account the index this will be the top model in the lineup.

Reportedly, the smartphone will be powered by Windows 6.1 Professional and have touch sensitive control a la “iPhone”, but it will feature more advanced functionality and technologies:

• Networks - GSM and UMTS with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
• 5-megapixel auto focus camera
• GPS navigation
• FM-radio
• Display – 3.5”, 240x400 pixel and brightness adjustment sensor
• TV-out
• 8 GB of onboard memory and microSD cards
• Dimensions – 112x56x12.5 mm

Updated LG Viewty: new shell

LG has announced the release of its Viewty handset in new color solution – Dark Silver. Earlier there is was just Black version. According to the company, it sold about 550 thousand devices. The new version is equipped with an updated scrolling wheel for more comfortable menu navigation.

LG Viewty features a 3” touchscreen display and no numeric keyboard. A 5-megapixel being a major advantage of the model. The European sales were launched last November. LG accessed its daily handset sales of 10 thousand units. The company expects to release several color solutions during this year.

GIGABYTE to introduce new product at Mobile World Congress

GIGABYTE Communications is about to introduce at least two new communicators powered by Windows Mobile 6 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. Traditionally for GIGABYTE its products are focused on mobile TV support (DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB). In addition the company will show the first such model with 3G and HSDPA. The second product will feature GPS-functionality with GeoTag.

The company hasn’t provided more details on the models. We only know it will show communicators at Mobile World Congress. Besides GIGABYTE plans to expand its share on the world mobile device market. Currently the company is marketing its models in Russia, Italy and Turkey.