Mobile

HTC Touch Diamond now at FCC

Glen D. — 2008-05-11T14:47:49-07:00

Look what's been spotted over at the FCC site as of late. It seems like the High tech Computers (HTC) Corporation is a few approvals away from marketing its latest handset.

What you're seeing may very well be the final design for the HTC Touch Diamond. While specifications are still unknown, the cross-section blueprint of its innards show something relatively clean and simple. Let's hope this new phone is as stylishly sleek as its insides seem.

We'll be keeping tabs on this one in our blogs so that you'll get the lowdown on it once more word is in. Good things come to those who wait, so stick around.

NEC announces Tough as nails ShieldPRO tablet PC

Sally B. — 2008-05-09T22:33:30-07:00

If you tend to drop your notebook computer from your lap from time to time, or if you live with a few kids who have the uncanny ability to break anything they touch, then you may want to consider buying this tough-as-nails tablet laptops from NEC.

Dubbed as the ShieldPRO, these Windows XP computing babies can take moderate abuse, such as exposure to water, dust, and even impact caused by a three-foot drop. It sports a 12-inch swivel touchscreen display, and is powered by a Core 2 Duo U7500 1.0 GHz processor, just enough for your rough-and-tumble computing needs.

With a 12-hour battery life and GPS, the ShieldPRO is a good choice if even you're considering taking a tablet PC with you in the great outdoors (if you ever find a need to, that is). The ShieldPRO is slated to be released in Japan in June. The pricing is yet to be announced.

Eidos to release reworked version of Jupiter Lander for mobile phones

Charles D. — 2008-05-08T14:15:44-07:00

Eidos will be kicking things up on the mobile phone with some old school gaming this June. The company recently announced plans of releasing the classic Commodore 64 title Jupiter Lander for gamers on the go.

Originally released in 1983, the game was a fine example of challenging and dynamic gameplay coupled with state of the art graphics (back then, anyway). There haven't been much changes in gameplay for the new version of the game as players try to steer their craft safely into a choice of several landing bays across a craggy landscape of random proportions.

The remade Jupiter Lander will sport ten levels with the same level of difficulty which stumped so many players back then. The developers have also added a little something extra to keep everyone on their toes. The different landing zones now offer different points depending on where you land your craft - with higher points awarded to the more difficult landing spots.

Players have a choice of playing the original Jupiter Lander in all its C64 glory; eight-color palletes and all. The more contemporary version will feature reworked graphics, complete particle effects and a zoom mode. Whichever poison you choose, both are guaranteed to deliver the same kind of exciting gameplay which captivated fans more than twenty years ago.

Dell launches special art edition Inspiron 1525 laptop

Enrico S. — 2008-05-07T09:34:20-07:00

Looking for a laptop that makes a statement? Dell has announced the launch of inaugural special art edition version of the Inspiron 1525 laptop. What makes these laptops unique is that users can pick from either of the two exclusive artworks created by artist Mike Ming.

The unit comes in two configurations with the cheaper model, which packs an Intel Pentium Dual Core processor, 3 GB RAM and a 160 GB hard drive, going for US 699. The Extreme Edition which goes for US 799, uses an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and has a 320 GB hard drive.

Both models are available directly from Dell with a bunch of customization options. To find out more about these units, follow our source link below.

Researchers cite the new role for cell phones in diagnostic telemedicine

David T. — 2008-05-06T05:31:47-07:00

It's the job of doctors and other medical practitioners to save people's lives, but what happens when they aren't physically present? In that case, you put a telemedicine system to work. At least, that's the idea of Cambridge University professor Dr. George R. Whitesides.

Whitesides collaborated with his colleagues in the United States and Brazil to design a simple, inexpensive telemedicine system using mobile phones. His prototype system makes use of cell phone cameras and paper-based diagnostic tests that change color when exposed to certain disease markers.

To demonstrate the system, Whitesides and co. used paper-test strips to collect and characterize artificial urine samples. They then took pictures of the color-changing test-strips with a mobile phone camera and remotely transmitted them to an off-site expert. The said expert then measured glucose and protein levels for diagnosis.

Whitesides and his fellow researchers have said that their system may also be used for detecting disease in plants and livestock, as well as for testing food and water quality. What remains to be done is to further develop and mass-produce tests like these.

BlackBerry Niagara: without 3G?

Sally B. — 2008-05-05T19:47:01-07:00

Research in Motion's upcoming BlackBerry 9000 may be a little bit too expensive for you, but there may be something that would make the device become an option if you have any plans of getting a new BlackBerry.

According to the stolen shots of a conceptual sketch of what seems to be the BlackBerry "Niagara" - and some rumors that accompany them - RIM is going to launch a BlackBerry 9000 without 3G.

A BlackBerry 9000 without 3G means a cheaper BlackBerry, of course. However, what are the other features that are removed from the Niagara? We can't tell from the conceptual sketches yet, not even the images can confirm that 3G is not included with the Niagara. But it is assumed to have pretty much the same specs as the original version of the BlackBerry 9000.

So what does this mean for the consumer? If this Niagara does exclude 3G from its features, it's going to be a viable option for those who do live outside 3G coverage. More details as they come!

Picture courtesy of Boy Genius Report.

Nokia to release more phones in the U.S. this year

Karl B. — 2008-05-05T12:42:16-07:00

Although it currently has the lion's share of the global mobile phone market, Nokia is still struggling to get a bigger piece of the market in the U.S., due mainly to its decision to drop production of CDMA phones.

The company is hoping that the situation will change soon, though. Nokia chief designer Alastair Curtis has been quoted as saying that more Nokia phones will become available in the U.S. in the coming months.

A spokesman from the company also said that more new models will be making their way to the U.S. this year, including brand-new CDMA phones. Models tailored for use with U.S. carriers are also on their way.

NASCAR drivers, Nationwide Insurance fight texting while driving in Virginia

Nicolo S. — 2008-05-03T18:56:10-07:00

To deliver a very important message to teens in Virginia, a couple of NASCAR drivers joined hands with other parties concerned about texting while driving. In particular, young motorists were advised to avoid Driving While Distracted or DWD.

The car insurance company Nationwide Insurance, DRIVE SMART Virginia, the Virginia State Police, Henrico County School officials, the Richmond International Raceway, and NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer and Landon Cassill all joined hands to increase awareness in Virginia.

With teens in focus, Nationwide Insurance extended its reach first to students at the Hermitage High School where the impact of text messaging while driving was discussed and demonstrated.

Clint Bowyer, an established veteran who has proven himself on the road, was quoted saying:

To remain safe behind the wheel, whether it is on a race track or on the streets, requires 100 percent focus. If I allow myself to become distracted during the race it can cost me positions on the track, but driving distracted on the streets and highways can be extremely dangerous not only to the driver but to the other motorists on the road.

Other advocates of safe driving stressed out the negative effects of multitasking while on the wheel. Notably, Major George Daniels of Virginia State Police stated, "it only takes a few seconds to change a CD, grab a drink, dial a cell phone, crash your vehicle and change a life forever."

BlackBerry Kickstart revealed

Ryan C. — 2008-05-02T22:21:12-07:00

Cellphone enthusiasts, rejoice - it seems that Research in Motion (RIM) has recently revealed a new gadget in their ever-so-popular line of cellphones. Introducing the latest in the BlackBerry series, the BlackBerry KickStart, in all its clamshell flip phone glory. It's definitely looking to be quite the contender, and should be worth its price tag when it finally releases.

So, what's so special about the BlackBerry Kickstart? Besides the fact that it's a clamshell type - automatically making it awesome. It uses a SureType keyboard, an external and internal LCD, a camera and a trackball for navigation, thus making it one of the more kitted-out clamshells there is.

We particularly like how they've implemented the SureType Keyboard, with the QWERTY layout - it'd definitely be easier to send text messages with it.

No other details yet on some of its more shinier features, however, but we'll definitely keep a close watch for more. So keep it locked right here for more news about the BlackBerry Kickstart, alright? Updates as we get them, in any case, and you can check out more info in the via link below.

Gala Mobile Inc. introduces Boot Camp multiplayer shooter for mobiles

Charles D. — 2008-05-01T12:52:39-07:00

While shooter games have been a relatively common fare on the mobile platform, not a lot of titles put innovation into the genre. However, Gala Mobile Inc. announced a new online shooter game including a persistent character and player ladder features.

Entitled Boot Camp, the game was developed with Web ENG Korea Co. Ltd. and features a top-down orientation with online multiplayer battles for up to 16 players. It also includes a character growth aspect as well as a player ladder system.

While Boot Camp was intended as a multiplayer game, you can also play the single-player offline feature to help you hone your shooting skills. It also includes a user-friendly chat system, friend list, ranks, player ladders and guilds list.

The game also introduces two interesting systems to allow players to keep tabs on one another and to ensure overall game security. A badge system will allow players to show everyone their achievements within the game, and the CyberCOPS filter system will provide a safe gaming environment once the game is fully implemented.

Boot Camp will be available in Japan this May and will be free for the first month of release. A monthly fee of 415 (around US 3.50) will be placed on the game afterwards. There's been no word whether this title will be available in North America or Europe, but there's no harm in wishing so.

Hands-On Mobile, Marvel Entertainment bring Iron Man to your mobile phones

Victor B. — 2008-05-01T02:06:13-07:00

Iron Man's jets are all ablaze as he fights bad guys with his repulsor rays! Hands-On Mobile and Marvel Entertainment have announced the release of a new Iron Man game for mobile phones, bringing with it four levels of action and excitement.

The mobile game, based on the upcoming Iron Man movie, has you fighting your way across four levels of nonstop action, culminating in a fight with the seemingly invincible Iron Monger. Along the way, you'll collect power ups and defeat countless waves of enemies as your struggle to take down the Iron Monger reaches its inevitable climax.

Notes Niccolo de Masi, President, Hands-On Mobile,

We are thrilled to add Iron Man to our extensive Marvel Mobile catalog. This summer promises to be a blockbuster for mobile content and we look forward to continuing to provide mobile gamers with stylish and exciting content based on the much loved Marvel characters.

The Iron Man mobile game can be downloaded by texting IRON to 46966.

Verbatim unveils 500 GB SmartDisk portable HDD

Tim Y. — 2008-04-30T06:57:08-07:00

Not only are hard drives getting faster and bigger, it looks like they're getting cheaper too. Verbatim is sending word that it's readying of a new 2.5-inch SmartDisk portable HDD for later this year, which will boast 500 GB worth of memory.

Verbatim's new offering will carry all the standard features of the SmartDisk line, including a 5400rpm spindle speed, and 8MB of cache memory. Verbatim will offer the new drive with either a USB, or a combo FireWire/USB interface.

Perhaps most interesting regarding this half-terabyte drive, however, is its price tag. Verbatim plans to its USB-only kit on retail for around US 300. It'll still burn a hole on your wallet, but it's considerably more affordable than some of the similar high-cap HDDs currently out in the market. Expect Verbatim's new SmartDisk to arrive in the second quarter of 2008.

Stressed out? Pick up a casual game, it's good for your health

Isaac C. — 2008-04-29T13:32:02-07:00

Casual games aren't just fun, but they can be beneficial for your health as well. At least, this is according to a new study from East Carolina University.

According to the study, casual games have a bunch of therapeutic applications that address mood- and stress-related disorders.

The games that were used in the study were mainly from PopCap - Bejeweled, Peggle, Bookworm; they're all from PopCap Games. According to the study, Bejeweled 2 on its own was found to reduce stress by 54 . Other games were found to reduce tension and depression.

In general, the games were able to reduce psychological tension, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion. The games were particularly effective with reducing confusion. They were also found to reduce vigor in test subjects.

So if you're feeling stressed out, just sit back and enjoy a casual game. Pick up the Wii, or play a game on Xbox Live Arcade or the PlayStation Network. It'll do you good. You can whip out your iPhone and start playing Java games in the bus. The DS and PSP handhelds also have a ton of casual games to offer too.

Just try not to get on the nerves of the people you play with, or you'll increase their stress levels.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart speeds its way to mobile phones

Charles D. — 2008-04-29T10:52:23-07:00

Mario isn't the only one that's going to be speeding his way into gamers' hands these days. Vivendi Games Mobile has recently fielded Crash Bandicoot and his friends to compete against one another in 16 different tracks across eight exciting environments for the mobile gaming platform with Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart in Europe.

Available in both 2D (for Java phones) and 3D (for Symbian devices), the game allows you to choose one of your favorite Crash Bandicoot characters as you race through the Crash universe with other wacky icons from the series.

There are ten different weapons to make this action-packed racer more interesting, as well as several unique power-ups like Kart Jacking and Turbo Plane to help players overtake their fellow competitors.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart is actually a sequel to the highly successful mobile game released in 2004. Since then the game has already sold over three million mobile phone unit sales worldwide.

To celebrate the launch of the game, Vivendi Games Mobile has organized a Crash Bandicoot Grand Prix event in each of the main European markets. Key players from the mobile gaming industry and selected customers will go head to head against one another in this manic go-kart tournament for a chance to win some sweet Crash Bandicoot prizes.

Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition released for mobile phones

Isaac C. — 2008-04-28T12:54:18-07:00

Last year, Capcom announced that they'll be releasing Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition for mobile phones. It took a while, but it's finally here! Now if only they'll give us an idea of when to expect Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix.

Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition will feature eight controllable characters from the original Street Fighter 2 arcade game in addition to the four bosses - Balrog, Sagat, Vega and M. Bison - and is promised to play as fast as the original game.

The game will be available on some phones upon purchase, but you can also purchase it from Capcom Interactive by following the link below.

Motorola A810 Linux mobile filed in FCC

Sally B. — 2008-04-26T20:53:33-07:00

Here's something mobile phone connoisseurs should look out for: Motorola just recently submitted documents concerning a certain Linux-powered handheld to the Federal Communications Commission (yes, it's the FCC). This mobile is called the A810, and it looks like it packs quite a punch aside from it having a Linux OS.

According to the FCC exhibits for the device, the A810 has a touchscreen, with onscreen keyboard, and handwriting recognition. Some small perks are also added to it, like FM radio and such. There's a small snag about the availability of this device within the U.S. shores, because it lacks the GSM 850MHz bandwidth.

We'll be keeping tabs on this device, so stay tuned for more updates.

NASA satellites will introduce 5G mobile technology

Isaac C. — 2008-04-26T12:15:07-07:00

While mobile technology is still content with the number 3, NASA already has its sights on the fifth generation telecommunications system, or 5G.

Working together m2mi, NASA plans to launch an armada of small satellites that only weight between 11 and 110 pounds. These satellites are appropriately called nanosatellites, and will be launched in groups called "constellations."

These satellites pave the way for 5G mobile technology, incorporating Voice Over Internet Protocol, video, data, wireless, and an integrated machine-to-machine intelligence layer in the technology.

Machine-to-machine intelligence, or m2mi, provides a seamless exchange and use of information between machines. We don't know how fast that is, but "very, very fast" would likely be an appropriate description. Hopefully, lags will be left behind in 3G.

Japanese celebrate Space Invaders' 30th anniversary with MicroSDs

Sally B. — 2008-04-25T21:08:51-07:00

Now here's a deal that we definitely wish were available in our part of the world. Hagiwara, manufacturer of SD memory cards, have partnered up with Taito to offer a nice combo deal with with MicroSD cards: buy any of their specially-marked 1 or 2 GB MicroSDs, and you'll get a chance to play a demo Invader Chain - a Space Invaders spin-off on your mobile phone.

It's certainly not a bad way to celebrate the 30th year anniversary of the historic Space Invaders arcade game. The Japanese really knows who to commemorate the anniversaries of their games.

Each purchase will give mobile owners a link that can be accessed via their handsets, letting them play Invader Chain, where your ultimate mission is to capture strange-but-cute Invaders wading in the sea.

But the happiness is short-lived, however: the access to Invader Chain is only limited to three
trial games. Still, it's not a bad deal...just look at the packaging art - it's nifty enough to be considered as a collectible.

Skype makes Java Client for mobile phones

Enrico S. — 2008-04-25T14:34:40-07:00

Skype has created a Java client for regular mobile phones. Unlike the previous version of the application for smartphones, this one actually piggybacks on your regular calls meaning you have to pay for both your minutes and the Skype time you use up.

Perhaps the main reason users will use this service is to make overseas calls since you will only be charged regular minutes and get charged standard Skypeout rates instead of the (usually more expensive) international call rates.

This service isn't for everybody, but if you regularly make overseas calls using your mobile phone, you might want to consider checking out this service. For more on this, follow our source link.

Gameloft's Asphalt mobile games breaks 10 million sales

Enrico S. — 2008-04-24T13:17:24-07:00

Mobile phone game developer Gameloft has revealed that the Asphalt series of games has already sold 10 million copies worldwide.

According to Gameloft president Michel Guillemot, this game has joined the "exclusive club where some 50 Gameloft titles have topped the million-in-sales mark." In addition, he added that he expects more games to break the 10 million-in-sales mark this year.

For those who aren't too familiar with the game, the Asphalt series of games puts players in the role of an underground street racer who has to avoid getting caught y the police while competing for fame and cash. The latest release, Asphalt 3: Street Rules came out for multiple phones, most notably the Nokia n-Gage. A fourth game is expected to be released this summer.