Nokia E63 surfaces, brings little surprises

After several leaks the Nokia E63 finally got its official announcement today. Much like the rumor had it the handset is a slightly downgraded and more budget friendly version of the E71. Most of the business functionality is still there so the lower price tag might actually be enough to make it quite a success amidst the global financial crisis.

The Nokia E63 has got a full hardware QWERTY keypad and comes with a slim waistline of 13mm. Its body is lacking the metal finish of the E71 and is entirely made of plastic instead. Most surprisingly however it will have touch sensitive Navi wheel functionality that lacks in the E71.

The phone has a 2.36" 16M color QVGA display and up to 110 MB of internal memory, which can be expanded through the microSD card slot. According to the press release the Nokia E63 users will also have 1GB of online storage at their disposal though the latest Nokia service called Files on Ovi.

Nokia E63 is going to be available in red and blue colors

The Nokia E63 packs quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS connectivity (which comes in three different flavors) but unlike the E71 has no HSDPA support. The other methods of data transfer on-board are microUSB port, and Bluetooth (A2DP and EDR) and Wi-Fi.

The Nokia E63 also lacks GPS and replaces the 3.2 MP autofocus camera of its elder brother with a 2 MP fixed focus snapper. The handset will start shipping in the coming weeks with an estimated retail price of 200 euro (250 US dollars) before taxes or subsides.

Nokia 2008-2009 smartphone roadmap surfaces

A dozen of Nokia smartphones leaked online with most of their major specifications, codenames and most importantly, their planned product announcement. Do not just get too excited though as there are no photos of the rumored devices so far. Still, there's some quite interesting pieces of specs information.

Before we go to details, we can sum up that Wi-Fi, built-in GPS and 5 MP autofocus camera will become common features for the planned Nokia smartphones. The large displays, FM radio and MP3 players will also be on.

There is one phone that stands out of the crowd. This is a device codenamed Corolla that will boast an 8 MP AF camera, 3-inch VGA 16M color TFT display, and a QW-ER-TY keyboard. GPS, Wi-Fi with UPnP, FM transmitter, HSDPA, 128MB RAM, and 8GB ROM are among the other features of the device, mentioned in the leak.

The other two monstrous devices are dubbed Ivalo and Eitri, featuring 3.5" touchscreen displays, 5 MP AF cameras and FM transmitters. The other ammo in the spec sheet of Ivalo includes 32GB ROM, aGPS, Wi-Fi, TV-out, and Bluetooth. Jumping over to Eitri, pay attention to the 8GB ROM, microSD, pressure sensitive touch UI with tactile feedback and gestures support plus accelerometer and a proximity sensor.

We won't be covering all phones in detail, so here's a table that summarizes the important stuff about Nokia soon-to-be smartphones.

Product code	Codename	OS Version	Product availability	Notes
Unknown	Athlon	3.2	2008 wk 40	N85 refresh. Quadband GSM, HSDPA, 5MP camera with xenon flash, 8-16GB ROM, analog joystick, integrated compass, stereo speakers, GPS, WiFi
RM-331	IP08	5.0	2008 wk 46	Widescreen touch, Naviscroll, QWERTY, AGPS, FM radio and transmitter, 5MP AF camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, TV-out
RM-431	Shakira	3.2	2008 wk 46	Candybar, WiFi
RM-469	Stella	3.2.3	2008 wk 48	Candybar - successor to E51. AGPS with integrated compass, 3MP camera with LED flash, WiFi
RM-482	Terra	3.2.3	2008 wk 48	Version of Stella with hybrid QWERTY keypad
RM-424	Gwen	3.2	2008 wk 51	Candybar, AGPS, 5MP AF camera with LED flash
Unknown	Ivalo	5.0	2008 wk 52	Follow-on to IP08. 3.5-inch wide touchscreen, 32GB ROM, AGPS, FM transmitter and receiver, 5MP camera, WiFi, TV-out, Bluetooth
Unknown	Corolla	5.0.1	2009 wk 11	3.0-inch VGA display, non-touch, 8MP camera, half QWERTY keyboard, 128MB RAM, 8GB ROM, WiFI, UPnP, HSPA, AGPS, FM transmitter
P3838	Madeleine	3.2.3	2009 wk 13	Side-sliding QWERTY, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM radio, VoIP, GPS, 3.2MP camera, N-Gage support with gaming keys
Unknown	Jig	3.2	2009 wk 17	Landscape slider for AT&T using 6650's guts. Quadband GSM, HSDPA, 2MP camera, 2.4-inch display
RM-453	Eitri	5.0.1	2009 wk 17	Landscape candybar with QWERTY, 3.5-inch 640x350 display, minimum 8GB ROM, microSD, pressure sensitive touch UI with tactile feedback and gestures, charging via USB, 5MP AF camera with dual LED flash, integrated compass and accelerometer, proximity sensor, FM transmitter

LG KC560 surfaces - did someone say tacky or what?

The LG KC560 handset leaked today with a supposed release date just in time for the holidays. Having multimedia as its key element the LG KC560 does have some… okay let's call them interesting design solutions.

For one, the phone has a golden D-pad and back panel. There are also several LEDs at the bottom of the front panel of the slider that blink when there is an incoming call. Is it us or the Samsung M7500 Emprio Armani may as well start trembling with fear?

Anyway, putting the imposing looks aside, the LG KC560 has quite a decent package of extras on board. There is a 3 megapixel autofocus snapper and a 2.4" 262K color QVGA display. Some of the other features include tri-band GSM support, FM radio, USB, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot.

LG KC560

The LG KC560 is expected to cost between 300 and 350 US dollars (230-270 euro) when it eventually becomes available.

Meanwhile three new versions of already announced LG handsets appeared in what seems to be the week of bad taste over at the Korean manufacturer.

The LG KF300, KF510 and KF750 are all receiving their own gold-plated carbon copies. Save for the looks nothing has been changed in those new versions.

Windows Mobile 6.5 confirmed, WinMo 7 still quite far away

Following the rumors that have been going around, the CEO of Microsoft Corporation Steve Ballmer "mentioned" that the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS for mobile phones will hit the market in 2009, without revealing any details about the improvements in the OS itself or its availability in end-user devices.

While everyone's expecting something of WinMo 7, Ballmer said that it's on their roadmap, but didn't mention its expected release, which means that it won't come out until 2010.

We are still yet to see the official announcement if Windows Mobile 6.5, as an accidental mentioning at a press conference doesn't really count.

It seems quite probable that the new WM 6.5 will be revealed in details on the forthcoming Mobile World Congress 2008 that's to be held in Barcelona at February 2009.

T-Mobile releases Samsung Behold and Gravity

Today, T-Mobile officially released the rumored Samsung Behold and Samsung Gravity. The Behold has a large touchscreen display while the Gravity has a sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Touchscreen Samsung T919 Behold looks like the Samsung F480 but on steroids. On top of the touchscreen TouchWiz interface, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 3G support, full HTML browser the new Behold scores higher with its built-in GPS. Unfortunately, even the Behold does not feature the highly desirable Wi-Fi feature.

Samsung Behold

Samsung Behold can be yours starting from November 10 for $149.99 on a 2 year contract in light rose color.

The Samsung Gravity is actually the first phone by Samsung with such form factor. In its essence the Samsung Gravity is pretty much like some other phones as HTC S730 and S710. Only those run on Windows Mobile, while the Samsung Behold doesn't.

Samsung Gravity

Leaving aside the design, Samsung Gravity, so far known as Samsung T459/T450, is a quad-band phone with GPRS/EDGE but no 3G support. Its display is relatively small measuring 2.1" 256K colors and 176 x 220 pixels resolution. Other features include microSD card slot, Bluetooth with A2DP profile, a modest fixed-focus 1.3 MP camera. Its processor and built-in memory is still unknown.

Samsung Gravity will be released on November 17 for $49.99 on a 2 year contract in lime and aqua colors.

HTC Touch HD hits Asia too, America still on the waiting list

We have received word on the next wave of countries to get the Windows Mobile uber device - HTC Touch HD. Only a few days after its European premiere HTC brought joyful news to all its fans in Asia by announcing that the HD will be available on the World's most populated continent as soon as the beginning of next month. Unfortunately for our American friends, there is still no word of when will the phone become available there.

The first two countries from the Asian tour of the HTC Touch HD will be Malaysia and Singapore. The prices of the multimedia powerhouse in those countries will be respectively 730 euro (930 US dollars) and 750 euro (950 US dollars). The twenty euro difference can easily be explained by the 8GB microSD card that will be included in the retail package in Singapore.

Equipped with a large 3.8" WVGA screen the HTC Touch HD is surely one of the most interesting devices to hit the market this year. Even though multimedia isn't normally one of Windows Mobile devices' elements the Touch HD has a specs sheet that can put much of the competition to shame. The large display, the 5 MP snapper and the 3.5mm audio jack are just some of the niceties it brings.

The connectivity includes all contemporary means of data transfers - 3G, Wi-Fi and of course the microSD card slot. There is also a built-in GPS to make the specs sheet on the HD almost as complete as it can be.

Sony Ericsson W705 now official - Wi-Fi confirmed, GPS not

Just as expected, today Sony Ericsson announced their new Walkman phone - the Sony Ericsson W705. The high-end slider is the first music-dedicated feature phone by the company to feature Wi-Fi. Unluckily the rumored GPS connectivity seems to have been dropped out but at least the rest of the specs sheet seems pretty decent.

The Sony Ericsson W705 comes with a 2.4" QVGA display capable of showing up to 256K colors. Some of its more important features include a 3.2 MP fixed-focus snapper, FM radio with RDS, quad-band GSM and dual-band (900/2100 MHz) 3G support.

Sony Ericsson W705

The typical for the Walkman family niceties - Shake control and SensMe are also available in the W705. The phone will come with 120 MB of internal memory that can be expanded through the M2 card slot for storing your favorite tracks. In addition there will be a 4GB memory card included in the retail package to grant generous storage capacity straight out of the box.

Sony Ericsson W705 will hit the shelves in two different flavors - W705 and W705u (exclusive to Orange). It will become available in Luxury Silver and Passionate Red color versions starting from Q1 of 2009.

Sony Ericsson made also another announcement - the wireless 2.1 speaker system MBS-900. It has integrated FM radio receiver and a 3.5mm standard audio jack. The unit has monochrome OLED display and Bluetooth functionality with A2DP support. Packing the impressive power output of 2x10W plus a 20W subwoofer the MBS-900 seems quite up to the task of sound-screening your next picnic.

Sony Ericsson MBS-900

Music-centric Motorola EM35 spotted in the wild

We came across the Motorola EM35, which will be the successor of the music oriented Motorola EM30. The smartphone runs on Linux Montavista 2.6.10 OS and has SCM-A11 500MHz processor on-board.

The new EM35 is also a music-centric phone but this time in the slider form factor. It sports three hardware music keys as well as a 3.5mm AV jack. The new baby has borrowed from Motorola ROKR E8 the navigation scroll wheel, as you can see by yourself from the leaked photos.

Of course the feature-rich music player and stereo FM radio with RDS support are here as well. Though the 110MB built-in memory is pretty good count, you can rely on the microSD card slot for expanding the on-board memory. Finally, the music section is enhanced by Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP profile for listening stereo music with compatible Bluetooth headsets.

The tri-band GSM phone will support GPRS and EDGE but no 3G. Motorola EM35 has a 2.22" QVGA TFT display with 256K colors and a 3MP camera on its back. Talking about dimensions, the EM35 slider measures 107 x 49.5 x 16 mm and weighs 117 grams.

Source

Sony Ericsson W705 on the stage tomorrow, leaks today

We are pretty confident that Sony Ericsson will release some new phones tomorrow, including the Walkman branded Sony Ericsson W705. Music fans will also cheer up with the latest portable speaker MBS-900, which also will be revealed to the public.

What makes immediate impression is that the W705 design is strikingly similar to the already announced Sony Ericsson G705. According to the leaked information, the new slider phone is equipped with a 240 x 320 pixels 256K color TFT display, 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and GPS (G705 also has both of the connectivity options on-board).

Sony Ericsson W705 is said to have 120MB of built-in memory, expandable via M2 card slot. The retail package will sport a 4GB card.

The new phone is expected to hit the market in February 2009.

Source

Nokia unveils 7 low-cost handsets, there are even more coming soon

Today Nokia unveiled seven new handsets that come right into the low-to-mid end segment. The new offerings include 7100 Supernova, 5130 XpressMusic, 2323 classic, 2330 classic, 2320 classic, 1661 and what is said to be the most affordable Nokia handset to date - the 1202. Targeted mainly at the emerging markets they rely on low price tags and unusual design rather than functionality to win customers.

The Nokia 7100 Supernova is the stylish offering for people on a tight budget. The handset packs a 1.3 megapixel camera, FM radio and a 65K QVGA screen. Bluetooth connectivity and radio recording are some of the other more interesting features of the phone. The handset will also come complete with support for image sharing and email services on Ovi.

The Nokia 7100 Supernova comes in two different dual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE versions (850/1900 MHz and 900/1800 MHz) and will have three colors to pick from (Jelly red, Fresh blue and Black). It is expected to start shipping in Q4 2008 with an estimated retail price of 75 euro (95 US dollars).

The music-centered Nokia 5130 XpressMusic comes with dedicated music keys, a standard 3.5mm audio jack and FM radio. It also has a 2 megapixel fixed focus snapper and a 2" QVGA display with up to 256K colors. Bluetooth and USB are also on board and there is a microSD card slot to allow you to carry more music on the handset. A 1GB memory card will be included in the standard retail package.

Dubbed to be the most affordable music handset on the market the quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Nokia 5130 XpressMusic will hit the shelves in Red and Blue in Q1 of 2009. Its estimated retail price is 90 euro (113 US dollars).

The classic trio announced today includes the Nokia 2330 classic, Nokia 2323 classic and the Nokia 2320 classic. All of the handsets have somewhat extraordinary design as far as recent trends go and as their names suggest quite modest specs sheets. Each of them will have a 65K color display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels.


In addition, the Nokia 2323 and 2330 classic will pack FM radios with recording capabilities. The Nokia 2330 also comes with a built-in VGA camera and Bluetooth.

The Nokia 2320 classic, Nokia 2323 classic and the Nokia 2330 classic will start shipping in Q2 2009. The 2330 classic will retail for about 50 euro (63 US dollars) a piece while the 2320 and the 2323 will be yours for only 40 euro (50 US dollars)..

Nokia 1661 (or 1662 as it will be known in some areas) will be the company's lowest cost color screen phone. According to the manufacturer the phone is designed to suit mostly the demands of the inhabitants of rural areas. Its features include flashlight, an FM radio and multiple phonebooks. The display on the phone will sport a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and will be capable of showing up to 65K colors.

Nokia 1661

The Nokia 1661 will have two dual-band GSM versions (850/1900 MHz and 900/1800 MHz) one of which will presumably be sold as Nokia 1662. They will both start shipping in the first quarter of next year, costing just about 30 euro (38 US dollars).

Finally we reach the Nokia 1202 - the last handset of today's announcement is the most affordable of the lot. The highlights of the device are extended battery life, a flashlight and a separate phonebooks for up to five users.

Nokia 1202

The handset will be available in two dual band versions (850/1900 MHz and 900/1800 MHz) before the end of 2008. The 1202 version will be available in Midnight black and Violet blue while the 1203 will come in silver gray for the mere 25 euro (31 US dollars).

Motorola VE66 5 MP slider emerges

Motorola look to be adding a secong 5 MP cameraphone to their range (the current being the ZN5) - the VE66 slider, i this leak is anything to go by. Of the known specs, it's unknown if the device's screen is touch-sensitive, but, it's said to feature touch-sensitive buttons below the display.




Oddly, it seems the Kodak branding that was seen in the ZN5 is curiously missing in the VE66, which seems quite strange, given that you'd think that more than one 5 MP cameraphone from Motorola would feature this. Anyway, rumoured specs to as follows:

• Connectivity: GSM and 3G
• Operating System: Montavista v2.6.10 Linux
• Display: 2.4", showing up to sixteen million colours
• Camera: 5 MP, with autofocus, and xenon flash
• Memory: MicroSD expansion slot
• Processor: 500 MHz
• Extras: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, with A2DP

Nokia E63 live images and specs leaked

The Nokia E63 has been know for a while now - well, a few blurry shots, and that was all. However, now, clear, live images of the device has been leaked, along with specs. It bears much resemblance to the E71, though, unlike the E71, the E63 is comprised entierly of plastic - no metal parts, like the E71.




Also, its spec list isn't as high as the E71's, so, going by that, it's safe to say it'll be somewhat cheaper than the E71. To add to that, the E63 will be a thicker device than the E71, though, by how much is unknown. Technical specifications are as follows:

• Connectivity: GSM, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA and UMTS support
• Display: QVGA resolution
• Operating System: Symbian 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1
• Camera: 2 MP, flashlight
• Memory: MicroSD card slot
• Extras: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5 mm jack, Micro USB port

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 available in Europe

Sony Ericsson's long-awaited first Windows Mobile powered smartphone is now available across Europe, three days ahead of schedule. The sim-free price will set you back €630/$800. The X1, announced back in February, manufactured by HTC, is the company's most feature-packed smartphone to date, packing in a 3.0" touchscreen, with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.5 mm jack (a first for Sony Ericsson), 3 MP camera, VGA video recording (another first for the company), amongst other things.

Speaking of the X1, Michell, of the unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog, has posted a plethora of live shots of the X1, available here, as well as a twelve-minute video preview of the X1, available here.

Google Earth now available for iPhone and iPod Touch

The popular Desktop application, Google Earth, is now available for the iPhone original, 3G version, and the iPod Touch. Being as this is the first release, teething problems are expected and, there are some. Most notably, it's said thtat, rather surprisingly, the multi touch controls of the iPhone/iPod Touch are unresponsive, and the virtual globe is hard to navigate. Nonetheless, its nice to see the application available, despite the shortcomings, which are sure to be fixed in later versions. Google Earth is available now, via the Apple App Store.

Another Dual Sim handset from Samsung

Dual Sim handsets aren't all that common in Europe - only three are currently available - two of those are from Samsung. Today, they've added another Dual Sim handset to their portfolio - the S9502. Though, this isn't just some cheap plastic handset with Dual Sim functionality, coming in at approximately $1000, the key reason being the material's it's constructed of.





The luxury S9502, with a rhodium-plated body, will be resistant to many kinds of potential damages. It's known that it'll be available in Russia first, but, no official date, or price have been confirmed by Samsung. Technical specifications go as follows:

• Connectivity: GSM, and EDGE
• Display: OLED technology, showing up to 262,144 colours
• Camera: 5MP, with autofocus
• Memory: 1GB internal, Micro SD expansion slot
• Extras: Bluetooth

Nokia announces their smallest Bluetooth headset, competition to design your own

Nokia have announced their smallest Bluetooth headset - BH-804, decked out in aluminium, measuring up at 42 x 13.6 x 6 mm. You get the standard up and down volume buttons, and, a micro USB port is present, for charging the headset. It's available in either Aluminium grey, or black.

If you're not a fan of it, you can design your own, altering exsisting headset designs in their latest competition. You can choose from the BH-604, BH-903, BH-501 or BH-503. You can choose from default colours and textures, or create your own, on a template. The designs will go to a public vote, with a winner chosen, and their design made into an actual headset.

Motorola Aura

Γενικές Πληροφορίες

Διαστάσεις: 96,9 x 47,6 x 18,6 χιλ.

Όγκος: 'Αγνωστο

Βάρος: 141 γραμμάρια

Δίκτυα: Quad-Band GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900

Κεραία: Εσωτερική

Εσωτερική μνήμη: 2GB

Υποδοχή Κάρτας Μνήμης: Όχι Οθόνη Έγχρωμη οθόνη TFT Χρώματα: 16.777.216 (24-bit) Τεχνικά Στοιχεία Κυκλική οθόνη διαμέτρου 1,55 ιντσών / 480 pixels (300 dpi) Ψηφιακή κάμερα ανάλυσης 2 megapixel Σταθερή εστίαση (fixed focus) Λήψη εικόνων και βίντεο Μπαταρία χωρητικότητας 810mAh (780mAh ελάχιστη) Χρόνος ομιλίας: έως 430 λεπτά Χρόνος αναμονής: έως 400 ώρες Δυνατότητες Αποστολή και λήψη SMS, MMS Διαχείριση ηλεκτρονικής αλληλογραφίας (POP3/IMAP4) Αναπαραγωγή ψηφιακών αρχείων ήχου μορφής AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MIDI, MP3, WAV, Windows Media Audio v9 και v10 Αναπαραγωγή βίντεο και βίντεο συνεχούς ροής (H.263, H.264, MPEG4) Ασύρματη τεχνολογία Bluetooth 2.0 με EDR Υποστήριξη προφίλ A2DP του Bluetooth για τη σύνδεση ασύρματων στερεοφωνικών ακουστικών Μεταφορά δεδομένων με Η/Υ με τη βοήθεια του προτύπου USB 2.0 hi-speed Υποστήριξη υπηρεσίας GPRS (Class 12) Υποστήριξη υπηρεσίας EDGE (Class 12) Web Browser για την περιήγηση σε οποιαδήποτε ιστοσελίδα (open source)

Microsoft Arc and Explorer Mouse: Revolutionary

Not only does the arc mouse have a distinct curved design body, but is also foldable to provide the comfort of a desktop mouse with portability of a notebook mouse. As for the explorer mouse, its new bluetrack laser technology gives it the ability to work on any type of surface.

Nokia N96 The Portable Fun Center

Although somewhat delayed, the heir to the N95 is now here, with internal memory, 16GB, support for HSDPA, TV OUT so you can view movies you have stored in it's huge memory, 5MP camera, Wi-Fi and GPS. In addition, the accelerometer, giving you the possibility to rotate the screen depending on the orientation of the device. It also sports a Symbian OS 9.3 operating system.

Windows 7: Coming soon? To a store near you

Microsoft is trying to revamp

Microsoft might be spending about 300 million dollars to undo the negative talk against Windows Vista, however Microsoft might be rushing into things to try and turn it all around as soon as possible.

According to unofficial rumors, from Microsoft’s internal calendar, the estimated release date of the new windows 7 operating system is June 3 2009, while during the professional developer conference (pdc) which will take place towards the end of the month (27/10) it’s expected that the first beta versions will be distributed.

What this Blog's about

It’s all about technology and how it can help me, you, and in general everyone around us. I work in an environment were I sell technology products and I am sad to say that most people in this day in age are so behind in technology and what it can do for them, and I’m not trying to get real technical on people, but I’m talking about simple things, like how to add music to there iPods manually and not with playlist (ex. Manually manage music box in iTunes). Most people are so afraid to experiment on their pc’s that they think if it works well then ok I won’t touch anything else on in cause it might break, that’s not the way it works though. You have to rummage around in your pc environment try different things, who knows maybe you’ll learn something you thought was not possible to do. Anyways my point is that this blog is all about technology how it can help us grow, make us wiser, maybe even happier who knows. I’ll be talking about a whole lot of different topics in the blog, simple and even more technical for the more hardcore types. I hope everyone likes my first efforts in blogging. I would love to hear everyone’s and anyone’s opinions, I’m all ears!