Items tagged with phones
Huawei has been trying its best to break into the U.S. market for smartphones and other devices, but is facing significant roadblocks. Specifically, U.S. lawmakers have urged Google and other U.S. firms to get away from using all Huawei hardware over security concerns and its close ties to the Chinese government. Despite being blocked in the U.S., Huawei says it won't give up on the U.S. market. Despite the U.S. uncertainty, Huawei has now taken the second-place spot in global smartphone rankings. It took that spot from Apple in Q2 2018 according to IDC. In Q2 2018, Huawei shipped 54.2 million devices out of the total of 342 million smartphones shipped globally. Part of what helped...
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Intel launched its Medfield platform only six weeks ago, but the company is moving ahead with plans for additional processors based on the 32nm SoC. At Mobile World Congress today, Santa Clara announced plans for two additional system on a chip (SoC) designs to flesh out its product roadmap. The current Z2460 that we covered in January will be augmented by the Z2000 at the low-end and a new dual-core chip, the Z2580. Of the two, the Z2000 will ship in retail products in the second half of this year, while the Z2580 won't be available for purchase until early 2013... Intel Debuts New Smartphone Chips at MWC Event...
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Intel launched its Medfield platform only six weeks ago, but the company is moving ahead with plans for additional processors based on the 32nm SoC. At Mobile World Congress today, Santa Clara announced plans for two additional system on a chip (SoC) designs to flesh out its product roadmap. The current Z2460 that we covered in January will be augmented by the Z2000 at the low-end and a new dual-core chip, the Z2580. Of the two, the Z2000 will ship in retail products in the second half of this year, while the Z2580 won't be available for purchase until early 2013. The already-launched 1.6GHz Z2460 is also getting a performance nudge; the core is now officially capable of a 2GHz maximum...
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After years of work and a few false starts, Intel is finally ready to take the plunge into the smartphone market. At the CES keynote tonight, the CPU giant is officially launching Medfield, the 32nm smartphone SoC it's built to take it into the next generation of smartphones (and a few tablets). The chip---now officially named the Atom Z2460--is ready for primetime... x86 Everywhere: Intel Announces Medfield Phones ...
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The Motorola Clutch i465 will be available sometime this summer from Sprint for $39.99 with a new two-year service agreement, $20 instant rebate, and $50 mail-in rebate (excluding taxes). This new phone is a rugged model with a candy bar form factor. It’s also the first device to combine Nextel Direct Connect with text messaging and a full QWERTY keyboard. “Motorola Clutch was designed to give serious texters and talkers multiple ways to get the word out,” said Rick Gadd, vice president, Motorola Mobile Devices. “With a full QWERTY keyboard featuring shortcut keys, IM-style texting and push-to-talk technology which works like a verbal IM, Sprint customers are able to keep in constant contact,...
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As part of its Christmas line-up of products, Sony Ericsson introduced a new phone that will allow consumers to connect to their PS3 gaming consoles remotely. The new phone, known as Aino, will let users access media content such as music, videos, and photos from the PS3 while on the go. Sadly, Aino will not allow users to play games or access high-definition video from the phone. Aino can also synchronize with media files on your PC using Sony Ericsson’s Media Go multimedia manager. As for the phone itself, Aino features an 8.1-megapixel camera with geotagging capability; 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity; a physical keypad; and a three-inch touchscreen. Sony Ericsson, the world’s fifth...
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We’re starting to see more and more smartphones with built-in GPS capabilities these days. Now, thanks to Pharos, we have two more options. But new phones aren’t the only new thing from Pharos: The company recently introduced its new Smart Navigator software in addition to two new unlocked GPS smartphones running Windows Mobile. The new Pharos Traveler 117 and 127 are the first phones from Pharos to incorporate Pharos Smart Navigator, a new hybrid navigational product that was designed specifically for Microsoft Windows Mobile devices. Smart Navigator combines navigation software with real-time location services for traffic, maps, incremental map updates, dynamic POI (points of interest)...
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It should be common sense that electronic devices can cause interference with other electronic devices (remember the old pacemaker / microwave problem?). After all, an earlier study about RFID tags interfering with medical devices has been released, and a new study released on Sunday shows that headphones might throw off pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) when placed within an inch of the medical devices. The presentation, titled Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) of Implanted Cardiac Devices by MP3 Player Headphones was shown at the American Heart Association's annual scientific sessions in New Orleans on Sunday. It took a look at the possible interaction between the...
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According to a new poll published by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, American families are just as, if not more, tight-knit than in previous generations. Part of the reason for this? Technology.Instead of weakening family ties as was feared, technology has brought us closer together by letting us chat, email, and text family even when we’re away from home."There had been some fears that the Internet had been taking people away from each other," said Barry Wellman, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto and one of the authors of the report. "We found just the opposite."In the poll, 60% of the adults surveyed did not feel that new technologies had any effect on the closeness...
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Text-heavy users rejoice: AT&T just released four new phones just for you. Sporting QWERTY keyboards, these phones are designed for text-heavy users who don't need corporate e-mail access and other features you'd typically see on a smartphone. Here's a closer look at each of the new phones: Pantech MatrixThe Pantech Matrix comes in navy blue and black with green and will also be available on the 16th in red. It is $79.99 with a two-year agreement and discounts, and it features the same double-keypad design that is found on the Pantech Duo. Just slide the phone vertically, and you'll see a number pad. A horizontal slide reveals the full QWERTY keyboard. The Matrix...
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We have a question: why are all these researchers and carriers who believe they have pinpointed the iPhone's 3G reception problem in Europe (forcing us to use translation software, too)? While there's no answer to that question, a Swedish scientist seems to think he has the answer to poor 3G performance on the iPhone 3G: poor signal sensitivity. Claes Beckman, a professor of microwave technology at the University of Gälve, told Swedish tech site Ny Teknik:The measurements show that Iphones sensitivity to 3G networks signals - "nominal sensitivity" - is well below the value specified in the 3G standard, which in Europe defined by the organization ETSI. The result is that it easier than other mobiles...
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Yes, you read the headline correct; you will pay more for a new Apple iPhone3G than you would have spent on the previous version of the iPhone. How can this be, you ask? The iPhone3G models are priced a full $100 cheaper than their predecessors. True. But the total cost of a two-year contract with AT&T will wind up more than eating up what you save on the less expensive, iPhone3G handset. iPhone3G purchasers will be required to commit to two-year contracts and to activate the phones at the store at the time of purchase (in order to qualify for the $199 cost of the 8GB model, or $299 for the 16GB). At $69.99 per month for the cheapest voice plan and unlimited data, you'll be spending $10 more...
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California's hands-free mobile phone law goes into effect on July 1st. Starting on that date, California drivers will no longer be able to use hand-held phones, but will instead either need to use a hands-free device, whether it's a headset or integrated into the car.A study released Monday by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) estimates that California will have 300 fewer traffic fatalities a year once the law goes into effect. According to Jed Kolko, PPIC research fellow and study author, if such a ban were extended across the U.S., thousands of lives could be saved.In a study released Monday, Jed Kolko, a fellow at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California,...
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Here's an idea that - well, read it, then you decide.Indian manufacturer Spice Mobile on Tuesday introduced a phone with a built-in optical disc player, the first of its kind, here at the Mobile World Congress trade show.VMedia produces a 1.2", blue laser optical disk that holds one gigabyte per layer. Current discs have one layer, which is good enough to hold a 3.5-hour Bollywood movie in H.264 format at 720x576 resolution, Packman said. The company is working on a 2GB disk for next year, he said. In an era when everyone's talking about moving to online media, physical media still has a commanding presence in sales, Packman said.About that online media - while streaming to a cell phone isn't...
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Israeli mobile phone technology company Modu has announced their modular mobile phone system, the modu. By including only the components necessary to send and receive voice and data, their module is designed to be integrated into "modu mates," and "modu jackets": mobile phone skins and various electronic devices that need mobile connectivity. Leading mobile network operators (MNOs) with a total of tens of millions of subscribers have already committed to modu, signing strategic partnerships that will see the first modu products available in the fourth quarter of 2008. The MNOs are Telecom Italia’s mobile division TIM, BeeLine (VimpelCom) of Russia and Cellcom in Israel.modu ecosystem partners...
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Promises, promises. Can it deliver?The technical trick of Skyfire is that it's a proxy browser. The Skyfire app itself isn't a full browser. Instead, big Skyfire servers elsewhere process Web pages, including all the media and browser formats -- like Flash, Java, and Ajax -- that a normal desktop browser would handle but that most phones can't. Then it streams data to phones, which the mobile half of Skyfire displays. To the end user, it looks like a browser, but the mobile app is just one part of the product.This means that Skyfire can do things on mobile phones that mobile browsers, including Safari and Opera, cannot, at least not without bogging down the phone. The danger is that the...
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Well, Jack Bauer would like us to believe that nuclear terror is just around the corner, and with this system, we could just possibly prove it.Researchers at Purdue University are working with the state of Indiana to develop a system that would use a network of cell phones to detect and track radiation to help prevent terrorist attacks with radiological "dirty bombs" and nuclear weapons.Such a system could blanket the nation with millions of cell phones equipped with radiation sensors able to detect even light residues of radioactive material. Because cell phones already contain global positioning locators, the network of phones would serve as a tracking system, said physics professor Ephraim...
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You'll recall that just yesterday Vodafone managed to get an injunction against T-Mobile, charging that T-Mobile violated German law by selling the iPhone with a SIM lock and two-year contract. Well, be careful what you wish for.T-Mobile said on Wednesday it will offer the iPhone without a T-Mobile contract for 999 euros ($1,478) at its shops.It will also allow those customers who bought an iPhone since November 19 to unlock the device free of charge so it can be used with other SIM cards. However, that will not enable customers to make use of all the functions that the music-playing and Web-browsing device offers.$1,478? Software unlockers, don't go anywhere, as it appears we still need...
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Apple warned that its latest update, 1.1.1, might disable some hacked, unlocked phones, but it appears there are cases of unhacked phones being bricked. It is not clear exactly why this is occurring, as Apple has yet to comment on the problems. But the rash of reports from those who have not unlocked or modified their phones indicates that whatever the Cupertino company is doing to 'brick' unlockers may have unintentionally taken out some of its law-abiding customers. A closer look at the iPhone support forums show many of the issues deal with loss of data, which isn't the same as bricking, where the device is useless. However, we were able to find at least two...
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Software unlocking of the iPhone has become the "deal of the day" with paid and unpaid solutions. Apple has an answer for that, and you may not like it. Apple issued a statement Monday afternoon warning users of unlocked iPhones that the next software update it ships will probably break their phones. It's not clear how many people have unlocked their iPhone to run on networks other than AT&T's, but there has definitely been some interest among early adopters who want no part of AT&T's network. Most of those folks were always operating under the assumption that Apple might relock their iPhones with future software updates, but were they expecting...
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As if the potential danger to the hardware (and occasionally the owner/hacker) isn't enough to make people shy away from an 'unlocked' iPhone, it seems that the phones are possibly becoming blacklisted.If this turns out to be the case across the board, owners of 'unlocked' iPhones shouldn't be expecting replacements, repairs, or possibly even connections to other services. What can owners of hacked iPhones do? Complaining loudly and often might work for some:“Only after asking for the manager and having several conversations with her, did they finally allow me to return it, but charged me a 10% restocking fee…Pretty Scary! Didn’t Steve and Woz get their start in college by selling a device...
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Apple sold a few hundred thousand iPhones in the first few days. Pshaw. That's nothing. Now, only 74 days into the life of the device, it's reached a number many cell phones never reach - one million sold. “One million iPhones in 74 days—it took almost two years to achieve this milestone with iPod,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary product into the hands of even more customers this holiday season.” The price drop, although it raised the hackles of many early adopters (until Steve stepped in with a rebate) will only increase the sales figures for this phone. Will the upcoming holiday season bring a big present for Apple and its shareholders?...
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