Cellphone: T-Mobile Launches Samsung SGH-t219 Clamshell
February 28, 2007
The Samsung SGH-t219, an entry level clamshell, was recently released by T-Mobile. The t219, a tri-band GSM handset with a a small grayscale exterior display and a 1.77-inch 64k color TFT LCD main display is compatible with T-Mobile’s myFaves service. While the handset has the standard SMS and MMS features, it also is capable of AOL, ICQ, Yahoo and Windows Messenger instant messaging. It is currently available in red and brown.
[ The Samsung SGH-t219 via PhoneScoop ]
Cellphone Emergency Charger: Battery in a Strap
February 28, 2007
While there are different options available for portable charging solutions, this offers portability on a strap. At only 17 grams in weight, you can carry the fully charged cellphone strap around anywhere for use when in need. Charging the strap’s battery takes about 3 hours, but full power transfer from strap to phone will take just about 40 minutes. You can also use your mobile while the strap is connected, much like a regular AC adapter. According to company specs, the strap will be able to provide 30 minutes of uninterrupted talk time and up to 12 hours of standby time.
[ Cellphone Emergency Charger: Battery in a Strap via SlashPhone ]
Concept Cellphone: Me-mo Modular Phone
February 28, 2007
The best phones available today may carry everything that you may need, but at what price? You get a drawback in bulk, weight, or even in design points. This modular concept phone will allow you to bring along the features you feel like you’ll need for the day.
Introducing the Me-mo Modular Phone. Using jacket-buttons, you can, in theory, snap on the module you feel you’d need. Don’t need the mp3 player today? Leave it behind, and snap on the querty keyboard, GPS or the camera module to your master unit. A novel idea yet there is no available information regarding possibilities for production.
[ The Me-mo Modular Phone via SlashPhone ]
Kinetic Mobile Phones
February 28, 2007
The hottest phones with the best features are nothing without what powers them. Battery life is the most important characteristic of any mobile nowadays. Even if you had the highest megapixel camera, music on your mobile, 3G connectivity, it’s all for not if you don’t have power. Charging isn’t always a convenient experience, and you can’t exactly do that when you’re on the go… or can you?
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Cellphone Accessory: Citizen i:VIRT Bluetooth Watch
February 28, 2007
The good folks at Citizen have come up with yet another watch to help you keep track of your phone calls when away from your phone. The Citizen i:VIRT connects to your handset via Bluetooth and alerts you when you get a call. Expect these watches to be on available in March, though probably not in the US. Like many cool gadgets, you’ll probably have to go to Japan to get one of these.
[ The Citixen i:VIRT Bluetooth Watch via SlashPhone ]
Payment via Cellphone: McDonald’s and DoCoMo launch Mobile Payment in Japan
February 28, 2007
More and more Japanese are use their mobile phones like credit cards, swiping handsets equipped with an electronic chip over special readers to pay for train tickets and snacks at retailers. Thanks to NTT DoCoMo and Mcdonalds, they might be able to use this technology to pay for their burgers as well.
McDonald’s, together with NTT DoCoMo, recently announced that they are jointly promoting e-marketing using DoCoMo Osaifu-Keitai e-wallet services. In doing this, they will also establish a joint venture company to help plan and manage e-marketing promotions to McDonald’s newly planned membership club, as well as the introduction of DoCoMo’s iD platform for mobile-phone credit cards and ToruCa information-capture service at McDonald’s stores.
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SmartPhone: GIGA-BYTE GSmart t600 mobile TV Phone
February 25, 2007
The Gigabyte GSmart t600 is a smartphone that runs on the latest Windows Mobile 6 edition OS. The handset supports the DVB-H mobile TV standard as well as the DVB-T format, which is currently being used in Taiwan. It has no kyepad or QWERTY keyboard. Text input is done through touchscreen and stylus. The built-in stylus also works as an antenna to improve Mobile TV reception. The t600 features a a 2.6 inch 480 x 640 pixel 256k color TFT display, 2 megapixel camera, an Intel PXA270 520 MHz Processor, 256 MB ROM / 96 MB RAM, microSD expansion slot, bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and WLAN 802.11b/g connectivity. The smartphone also has support for Push mail.
It is expected to be available to Taiwanese subscribers in April of this year.
[ The Gigabyte GSmart t600 SlashPhone ]
Concept Cellphone: CUin5 by branko Lukic
February 25, 2007
Ok. Practical to the point of absurdity, this concept phone is more likely than not to stay a concept. The CUin5, a design concept by branko Lukic is one of many examples of Design Fiction(TM)s taken from the upcoming book entitled non.object.
The following is the description from the concept creator:
How about a handset in which every face carries a keypad, microphone, and speaker? Imagine grabbing it quickly - from inside your bag, from off a shelf, from under a car seat - and freely interacting with it without needing to turn it over or align it right side up? This was the line of thinking that over several years led me finally to conceive of CUin5. Whichever surface you touch first becomes active and aglow, while the others lock in place. Talk from a wide surface. Talk from the edge. See beyond its limitations and read the poetry between the lines.
[ Concept Cellphone: CUin5 by branko Lukic via SlashPhone ]
Entry-Level Pocket PC on FCC Site
February 25, 2007
The GENE 100, a new Pocket PC phone from HTC, was recently revealed on the FCC site. The phone, also known as the HTC P3400, features a touch screen for input. No keypads or keyboards. This handset has a candybar form factor, is quad-band GSM, GPRS EDGE, Bluetooth connectivity, a 2 megapixel camera, 64 MB RAM, 128 MB flash memory, and an SDIO card expansion slot. Similar products from HTC have only been made available by European and Asian carriers so it is likely that the GENE won’t be landing on US shores either.
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Cellphone: Pantech PN-810 Dual-Slider handset for Helio on FCC
February 25, 2007
A new handset, what looks to be a dual-slider, was recently spotted on the FCC website in Helio clothing. Internally being reffered to as the Pantech PN-810, sports a design similar to Samsung’s F520. In portrait view, sliding the top most layer up reveals the number pad, and sliding the top layer in landscape mode reveals a QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard includes a dedicated emoticon key, but no direct access to numbers.
Some of the known specs of this handset include EV-DO radio, a 2.1 megapixel camera with built in flash, and a 260k color TFT LCD display. More info to be posted when available.
[ The Pantech PN-810 via SlashPhone ]
