Huawei E583c Mobile Wifi Hotspot

Huawei has announced a new mobile WiFi hotspot that is similar to the MiFi that we already know about. The new hotspot supports HSPA 3.5G data speeds.

The E583C hotspot takes that 3.5G connectivity and turns it into a WiFi hotspot that can support five wireless devices at once. The hotspot can also connect via USB to another computer making six machines supported at one time.

The 3.5G device supports upload speeds of up to 5.76Mbps and download speeds up to 7.2Mbps. Other features include a 1-inch OLED screen and a microSD card slot with support for up to 32GB of storage.

Source: http://www.i4u.com/article37048.html

10:27 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Microsoft unveils Kin – its latest smartphone

• New devices go on sale in the US through Verizon Wireless
• Vodafone will begin to sell Kin in Europe in the autumn



Microsoft hopes to take on the growing importance of bitter rivals Apple and Google in the mobile phone market with a new range of its own mobile devices that focus on social networking.

Its new "Kin" range of mobile phones have slide-out qwerty keyboards – with the smaller device bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Palm Pre – and will be arriving in the US within weeks. British mobile phone users, however, will have to wait until the autumn when the Kin devices will be available on the Vodafone network.

Microsoft has been in the mobile phone market for almost a decade but has consistently failed to grab anything like the market share it has enjoyed in the PC world. Its share of the US smartphone market dropped to 15.1% in February from 19.1% in November, while Google's Android platform has 9%, up from 3.8%, and Apple maintained its quarter share of the market, according to figures from Comscore.

With analysts convinced that the next generation of web users will most likely be accessing the internet on a mobile device rather than a desktop computer it has become increasingly crucial to Microsoft that it improve its mobile offering.

The new devices are a result of a project within Microsoft known as Pink and have been developed alongside the seventh version of Microsoft's mobile phone software. Windows Phone Series 7 was announced back in February and several mobile phone manufacturers are already working on devices that use the new software.

But Microsoft finally seems to have learned that just developing good software does not lead to a winning mobile phone.

Apple has complete control over the iPhone, while even Google has decided in recent months that it needs more of a say in how the open standards mobile phone platform it has championed – called Android – is implemented.

Earlier this year Google launched its own phone, the Nexus One. It is manufactured by HTC but Google has controlled exactly how the device looks and works.

In a similar manner, the Kin devices are manufactured by Sharp but Microsoft has control over the software, online services and hardware. The phones are designed to make it easy for users to access Microsoft's online services – including search engine Bing – as well as publish and share information with their contacts.

Read More at : http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/12/microsoft-mobile-phone-kin

11:51 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Vodafone launches 'world's cheapest phone'

Vodafone have launched what they say is the world's cheapest mobile phone - which will sell for under £10 in the developing world.

The Vodafone 150: the world's cheapest phone, according to the company.

The Vodafone 150 will launch in India, Turkey, Qatar and seven African countries - the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania. Its unsubsidised cost will be under $15, the equivalent of just under £9.60, with prices varying slightly depending on the local market.

The phone was announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Large parts of the developing world have seen massive growth in mobile phone usage in recent years, with a UN report last year showing that purchases of mobiles up 550% in five years in Africa. In many countries that lack the infrastructure for widespread, reliable or cheap landline or broadband networks, mobiles have become a key communication and business tool, allowing users to trade, make bill payments and transfer money.

The Vodafone 150 offers a stripped-down, back-to-basics feature set - with a monochrome screen, voice and SMS capability, and support for mobile payment services. For those looking for a little more, there is also the Vodafone 250 - which will sell for less than $20 (around £12.80) - which has a colour screen and a built-in FM radio.

Vodafone say they will also be investing in infrastructure to help bring mobile connectivity to rural areas that currently lack it.

Vodafone have not said if they have any plans to bring the 150 to the UK at any point.

Source: http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/813323-vodafone-launches-worlds-cheapest-phone

10:27 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Versace Plans to Launch Luxury Cellphone

Italian fashion house Gianni Versace SpA in May will introduce its first mobile phone, entering a blossoming new high-price category for luxury fashion brands.

Donatella Versace, the designer at Versace, created the phone with ModeLabs Group SA, a French company that also makes phones for fashion house Christian Dior SA and watchmaker Tag Heuer SA.

"Before, brands couldn't imagine that a luxury telephone was possible," said ModeLabs Chief Executive Stéphane Bohbot. "Now, limited distribution and customized design have created a new interest for brands in telephones."

The new Versace phone will retail for more than Dior's phone, which costs €3,500, or about $5,000, and was introduced in 2008, Mr. Bohbot said. The Versace phone will reach the brand's boutiques as well as high-end watch and jewelry stores in May.

Versace said it plans to unveil the phone to its VIP clients at a couture presentation at Paris's Hotel Plaza Athénée next week. Versace said it is working with ModeLabs but declined to comment further.

Fashion houses have splashed their names on technology for the past few years. Motorola Inc. sold €200 million of its Dolce & Gabbana handset in 2008. Prada SpA and Giorgio Armani SpA also have developed phones with major phone makers. But until a couple of years ago, phones bearing fashion logos sold for well under $1,000.

High-end mobile phones costing thousands of dollars are competing with luxury watches for consumers, Mr. Bohbot said. The strongest demand comes from Asia, Russia and the Middle East, he said. For Versace, the mobile phone is part of a push into new areas to broaden its appeal beyond clothes. Over the past few years, the company has branched out into Versace-branded jets, sports cars and hotels. Ms. Versace first contacted ModeLabs in mid-2008 to discuss a Versace mobile phone, Mr. Bohbot said.

Versace has struggled to stay profitable since celebrated founder Gianni Versace was gunned down in 1997. Ms. Versace is his sister.

Engineers from ModeLabs visited Ms. Versace in Milan monthly to design the phone, which will feature high-end materials such as leather. ModeLabs also will customize the phones with specific colors and materials for individual Versace customers.

To keep up with the pace of new technology in products such as the Blackberry and Apple Inc.'s iPhone, ModeLabs will supply operating-system upgrades to customers.

By: Christina Passariello
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703626604575011142248650182.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

11:30 AM | 0 comments | Read More

How Google's Nexus One Can Beat Apple's iPhone

We're only hours away from Google's special event when the company is expected to launch the Android-based Nexus One mobile device. There has been a lot of speculation about the handset, and how it will differ from competitors like the iPhone. An early hands-on review by Engadget suggests the Nexus One will be a solid device, but not be immediate threat to the iPhone.


But that won't stop the endless comparisons to the iPhone once the Nexus One is released later today. So why not just dive right in with several things Google needs to get right on the Nexus One, as well as the Android platform in general, to beat the iPhone.

Speed

It's all about speed when it comes to smartphones, as users want a blazing fast connection and a device that doesn't take forever to load a program. The Nexus One is widely believed to have a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor making it super fast, although not blazing fast according to Engadget's review. The iPhone 3GS, where the 'S' stands for speed, has a 600 MHz processor, so clearly the Nexus One will have the advantage for the time being. But that could change if Apple brings out another version of the iPhone this year.

Pricing

Right now, the Nexus One looks like it will have a pretty standard pricing plan: $180 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile or $530 unlocked. If Google really wanted to shake up the system it would figure out a way to offer the Nexus One at an even cheaper price or for nothing at all.

Be Open

If Google wants the Nexus One to rival Apple then it will have to be careful not to be seen as a closed device. The Nexus One is expected to be sold unlocked for $530, meaning you should be able to use the device with the carrier of your choice. But the Nexus One is a GSM phone so only two U.S. carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile, will be able to support the phone.

The problem is early reports are saying the Nexus One's 3G connectivity will only work on T-Mobile, not AT&T, which automatically limits how you can use the phone. If I'm paying over $500 for a phone, I want it to be as wide open as possible, and that includes being compatible with both 3G networks.

Maps, Goggles and more

Google has released some really nice mobile toys recently including Google Goggles and free voice-activated turn-by-turn GPS for Android 2.0 devices. Then there's Google Voice, which, when combined with Gizmo5 (a Skype-like service Google recently acquired), could turn Google into a quasi-independent network provider for voice services.

If Google keeps releasing cool features that are available only for Android devices, or at least on the Android first, then these features may give Android an advantage over Apple's device.

So will the Nexus One be a game changer or is this just another mobile device taking up space on an already crowded mobile field? Only a few hours until we know for sure.

By: Ian Paul
Source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/185895/how_googles_nexus_one_can_beat_apples_iphone.html

10:46 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Unreal Engine 3 games coming to iPhone

The same graphical engine that gives Gears of War 2 that iconic shine is coming to iPhone and other mobile platforms in 2010.

Mark Rein showed off a playable Unreal Tournament level running on an iPod Touch to the guys at AnandTech last week as an example of Epic Games' commitment to graphical innovation.

Though Epic has not announced any plans to develop mobile games, Rein hinted that consumers might see a playable UE3 game running on the iPhone and other mobile platforms at CES 2010 next week. Unfortunately the mobile Unreal Engine still requires OpenGL ES 2.0, and thus the only Apple smartphone capable of playing such a game is the latest iPhone 3GS. Rein suggested that developers who paid for an Unreal Development Kit license will have access to the mobile graphics tech in the near future, meaning we may see Unreal Engine games on the iPhone and other platforms (like the Motorola Droid) as early as 2010.

The Unreal Tournament demo employs the iPhone accelerometer and an on-screen joystick for player input, but Rein promised that Epic Games is working to develop new control methods for 3D games on mobile phones.

Check out this video of how the tech demo looks and plays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzts8tsKuHs

Source: http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/213406/unreal-engine-3-games-coming-to-iphone/

10:36 AM | 0 comments | Read More