Technology & Gadgets

Motorola Announces The Droid 2

2010-11-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

Motorola has announced the sucessor to its popular Droid Android mobile phone, the Motorola Droid 2. The Motorola Droid 2 featires a 3.7 inch display, plus a slide out QWERTy keyboard and it comes woth the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, Android 2.2.

The Motorola Droid 2 is the first Android smartphone to be released that features native support for Adobe Flash, and it supports the latest version of Flash, 10.1.

Storage wise you get 8GB of built in storage, there is also a microSD card slot that can take up to 32GB cards, giving you a total of 40GB of storage.

The Motorola Droid 2 is available from today from Verizon, prices start at $199 with a two year mobile contract.

via Geeky Gadgets

Samsung Epic 4G Available On Sprint From August 31st

2010-11-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

The Samaung Epic 4G is Samsung’s latest Android smartphone, and looks like it may be their most impressive to date, it features a 4 inch Super AMOLED touch screen display, plus a five megapixel camera and an LED flash.

The camera can record HD video in 720p and there is also a front facing video camera, which means that the Epic 4G can be used for video calls.

Other features on the Samsung Epic 4G include, integrated 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a six axis accelerometer, and a 1GHz processor, plus EV-DO Rev and WiMax, there is also a full QWERTY keyboard.

The Samsung Epic 4G will be available for $249.99 on a two year contract with Sprint, after rebates, and it can be reserved for store pick up on the 31st of August 2010.

HTC Taiwan

2010-09-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

In this July 27, 2010 file photo, Peter Chou, chief executive officer of Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp., or HTC Corp., talks about the introduction of the brand into China's market during a press conference held in Beijing, China. East Asia is the world's electronics factory, yet unless they are Japanese, producers are anonymous. Now HTC Corp., the Taiwanese maker of smart phones, is moving out of the shadows and trying to establish its own brand name as it competes with Apple's iPhone. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

(AP) -- East Asia is the world's electronics factory, yet unless they are Japanese, producers are largely anonymous. Now HTC Corp., a Taiwanese maker of smart phones, is moving out of the shadows and trying to establish its own brand name as it competes with Apple's iPhone.

supplies U.S. carriers Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile but says a year ago only one in 10 Americans knew its name. With the help of marketing by cellular carriers and HTC's own television ads during the baseball World Series, HTC says that number is up to 40 percent.

"We want to be one of the leaders," said John Wang, the 13-year-old company's chief marketing officer.

In trying to establish a global brand, HTC is following in the footsteps of another Taiwanese company, Acer Inc., which is battling Dell Inc. for the title of second-largest personal computer maker. Other rising Taiwanese technology names include software producer Trend Micro Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc., a maker of PCs and cell phones.

HTC's path to its own brand has been complicated by U.S. carriers' preference for many years to market its phones under their own brands.

That started to change in 2007, and the "HTC" brand started showing up on phones, as carriers figured that the company had some cachet among early adopters that they could capitalize on. HTC phones on the U.S. market include the Droid Incredible, sold by Verizon Wireless, the HD2, sold by T-Mobile USA, and the Hero, sold by Sprint Nextel Corp.

Even now, HTC is careful to avoid straining ties with carriers by promoting its own identity too aggressively. Such ties are crucial in the United States, Japan and other markets where carriers usually pick which phones to offer. In Europe and elsewhere, customers pick their own phones and buy service separately.

"I don't think it should ever become a 'destination phone,' because that is very arrogant," Wang said.

The company's slogan, "Quietly Brilliant," expresses both modesty and pride.

Apple, of course, is anything but quiet, and HTC sets itself apart from the U.S.-based giant in other ways, too.

In contrast to lookalike iPhones, HTC tries to make handsets for every taste, some with slide-out keyboards, others with touch screens. While Apple has its own online store, HTC focuses on phones while carriers pick which music and applications to offer.

Nokia N8 in India

2010-08-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

We were invited to the Nokia N8 Preview Event in Delhi on Friday and here are some pics of the upcoming phone we wanted to share with you. In terms of hardware , the N8 is certainly a great device. The body is made of Anodized aluminum which gives a nice feel to the device and due to the metal used, this device will be available in various colors which you might have not seen on a Nokia phone before. The device supports QWERTY input in the landscape mode.

Olive Telecom unveils the OlivePad, a 3G Android 2.1 tablet phone, at Rs. 25,000

2010-07-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Olive Telecom has unveiled the OlivePad, an Android 2.1 3G tablet that’s also a quad-band 2G phone. Dell Streak-like, the 7-inch smartphone/tablet is priced at Rs. 25,000 and will release in the “third week of August” in India. The company also announced the capacitive multi-touch tablet will be upgradeable to Android 2.2, FroYo, around October.
Calling the OlivePad VT-100 a “window to the world in your [largish] pocket”, Olive Telecommunication has shown a will to compete with Apple in the handheld space, and Mr. Arun Khanna, Chairman of Olive Telecommunication, made several references to the iPad and the fruity computer giant as their chief competitors. We had a chance to play around with the 7-inch OlivePad, and got the impression that this is no empty boast, rather that the surprisingly sturdy and well-built OlivePad might be a serious Android contender in the tablet space, even supporting video calling over its 7.2Mbps HSUPA 3G connectivity, and access to more than “1 million free apps” in the Android Market (no paid apps until an Indian payment solution is agreed upon, much to everyone’s happiness).
Powered by an ARM11 600MHz processor, the OlivePad is based on the new Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset, and features 512MB RAM, 512MB inbuilt flash memory, and microSD expandability up to 32GB, aside from a CMOS 3MP camera and webcam. It also has full Flash support, as well as WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR), and microUSB connectivity.
Supporting 720p video playback, the OlivePad has a 3.5-mm jack and offers good media features, playing the following formats: 3GP, MP4 AVI, and MP3. Weighing in a substantial 410 grams, the 7-inch tablet has dimensions of 110x11.5x179.4mm, and a 3240mAh Li-polymer battery that gives 16 hours of standby time, and 7 hours of talk time.
With inbuilt GPS, the OlivePad offers a Google Maps and MapMyIndia navigation, and also has a gravity and ambient light sensor, apart from a compass and full-fledged internet browser that has full Flash support.

Nokia C6-01 with Slide-out

2010-07-16T04:09:00.000-07:00

Nokia's latest handset from its C-Series stable has made an appearance on its Netherlends website. The phone is known as the Nokia C6-01.

This phone is quite similar to the already known Nokia C6-00 except that the C6-01 comes with an 8 megapixel camera and dual LED flash. The C6-01 has a 5 megapixel camera and single LED flash.

The weird thing about the C6-01 is that there has been no announcement regarding this handset until now. It simply appeared on its website without any warning. Feature wise, the C6-01 is not very different from the C6-00. The list of features include a slideout QWERTY keyboard, 360 x 640 pixels touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, GPS, Ovi Maps and so on.

The device is expected to be priced at around the 279 (Rs. 17,000) mark. On the other hand, the slightly lower-end C6-00 will set you back by almost 220 (Rs. 13,500).

There is no word if this one would make it to India any time soon.

Nokia launches Nokia 2690 a low cost, feature rich mobile in India

2010-06-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturer has launched its low cost mobile N2690 in India at Rs 3700. The phone in addition to the basic features also incorporates Nokia life tools, camera, video and internet to name a few. Nokia 2690 has all features such as good looks, durability and superior quality that consumers looks for in addition to affordability. Though the market is flooded with plethora of low cost handsets, it is Nokia’s brand value that sets Nokia 2690 apart from others.

Nokia 2690 looks attractive in the color combinations that are offered namely Graphite, Hot pink, blue and White silver. The phone is compact in size and can be termed pocket size. The 1.8 inch wide screen is capable of displaying a resolution of up to 128 x 160 pixels. Simplicity of design coupled with superior performance is Nokia’s trademark and Nokia 2690 is no different.

Nokia 2690 packs essential connectivity features including Nokia life tools, GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth and USB together. Staying in touch with close ones is no longer a distant possibility as Nokia 2690 supports email and Social networking. Nokia Life tools provide a whole new world of options to the user to gain accessibility to the outside world information and happenings at the touch of a button.

Nokia 2690 has a very good sound quality which is evident from its mp3, AAC ringtones. With the handset’s music player and Inbuilt FM Radio one can have music on the go. There is an option to increase the memory to accommodate more music and other files through MMC expansion slot to add memory to the phone. Speaking about memory, the handsets memory can be extended up to 8 GB. Its phone book can accommodate up to 2000 entries as contacts.

The basic VGA camera exists in Nokia 2690 is a bit of a spirit dampener. But coming to the other positive aspects, the phone scores in terms of Battery life. Its BL-4C 860 mAh Li-Ion battery gives up to 270 minutes of talk time and a standby time of 335 hours. Videos can be recorded with the handset at 176x144 pixels, 15 fps. The phone supports S40 themes, Java games and MMS.

Nokia 2690 has other basic features at par with other Nokia handsets. These include Calendar, Contacts, To-do, Notes, E-mail, converter, clock, calculator and recorder. With all these features backed by such affordability, Nokia 2690 deserves a good consideration.

Micromax Q3

2010-06-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Micromax Q3
Micromax Q3 is a GSM phone. Micromax Q3, a CandyBar mobile comes with a great list of features. Micromax Q3 price is optimal and it is a great buy.
The Micromax Q3 is a brilliant phone with a candy bar shape that has a neat look and brilliant shape. With dimensions of just 111.2 x 61.2 x 13 mm, it weights just 97 grams, thus making it portable and easy to carry it anywhere.

Some of the features worth mentioning about this phone are Dual GSM-Dual Standby, Qwerty Keypad(ezpad), Preloaded mobile social messenger (Nimbuzz), 1.3MP Camera, Multi Format Music Player, Stereo FM radio, Bluetooth(A2DP), Large SMS & PHB using Photocall, Expandable Memory (upto 2GB)

The internal memory of the phone is 10 MB. Power management is handled by a Li-Ion battery of 1000 mAh capacity providing a talk time of up to 4 hours and a standby time of 160 hours.

The Micromax Q3 packs in features like Bluetooth, WAP, and GPRS for connectivity. Users can enter data through keypad on a TFT display which has a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and 262k colours. More features like speaker, camera, FM radio and music player are available. The handset is capable of playing music in MP3, AMR, MIDI, and WAV formats. Other features include speed dialing, SMS, MMS, and games.

LG KF 510

2010-06-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

LG KF510 is a GSM phone. LG KF510, a Slider mobile comes with a great list of features. LG KF510 price is optimal and it is a great buy.
The KF510 from LG is the latest sleek and appealing mobile phone that has full touch navigation with InteractPad and Touch Lighting. The KF510 touchpad has some interesting animations and interactions with the interface, which partially make up for the lack of a full color navigation display.

Apart from that, the unique features of the mobile include sleek metallic finish and bigger 2.2" display covered with tempered glass and features a light sensor on the front in addition to power-saving auto-luminance control. The exceptionally slim slider phone is good looking and easy to handle. Other features include a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, microSD card slot with hot-swap, USB v2.0 and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, FM radio and web browser. Basically a music oriented handset the camera also comes along with red eye reduction and image stabilization. It has GPRS EDGE for connectivity. The entertainment features apart from the inbuilt FM radio are MPEG-4 player and dedicated MP3 player. Above all it can record video in QVGA resolution and also play back.

LG Group, which stands for Life's Good, is a large South Korean conglomerate that produces electronics, mobile phones, and petrochemical products and operates subsidiaries like LG Electronics, LG Telecom, Zenith Electronics and LG Chemical in over 80 countries.

LG Fathom Windows Mobile Launched In U.S.

2010-06-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

LG has launched its latest Windows Mobile 6.5 powered handset, the LG Fathom, in U.S.

The phone boasts of a 3.2 inch screen with a powerful 1Ghz processor. The other features associated with this handset include 3.2MP autofocus camera minus flash, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi ...

Motorola Squarish Flipout Smartphone Announced

2010-06-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Motorola has announced a new Android handset, the Flipout that resembles Microsoft's Kin smartphone. The handset appears in a square form factor and is all set to be shipped by the Orange network from July.

The Flipout has a 2.8-inch touchscreen QVGA display with a full size 5-line ...

Apple’s iPad goes on sale in the UK tomorrow

2010-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Apple’s iPad goes on sale in the UK tomorrow, there will be two models for sale a WiFi model and a WiFi +3G model. If you are looking to buy the 3G model you will need to get yourself a micro simcard
with a data plan from one of the providers in the UK, but which one is the best deal?

Samsung announces AMOLED Beam cellphone in South Korea

2010-05-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

We all know that our friends over at South Korea do have a slew of smartphones which are by far and large, much more advanced that what the rest of the world gets (of course they are a close challenger to Japan which has some pretty far out handsets as well). For those who are in the know, the Samsung Haptic Beam (SPH-W7900) which has been out for some time already has just received its successor in the form of the AMOLED Beam (SPH-W9600), making it the first full touch beam projector phone in the world which is capable of delivering an enhanced viewing experience and richer image projection.

Wall Mountable Charging Station

2010-05-30T10:16:00.003-07:00

Sometimes the best solution is the most simple one. This charging station is probably the most plain one you’ll come across, but it hids the cords and it attaches to the wall. All around it will easily simplify charging your smaller gadgets. If you don’t want a charging station that draws attention to itself, then this one would be a great solution.

Sony Ericsson Zylo with Walkman cellphone

2010-05-30T10:16:00.001-07:00

Sony Ericsson is back with a bang, this time round they have expanded their Walkman line of cellphones (guess the Cybershot fans will have to take a back seat for this time), where the Zylo is the latest model to be introduced. This next generation Walkman phone will not break the bank if you are interested in picking one up, where it not only offers the best musical experience from a Walkman handset, but will also merge both music with social networking in a single device. That’s right, you will be able to catch up with family and friends over Twitter and Facebook among others using but a few button presses, while enjoying your favorite tunes in the background. Apart from that, the Zylo will also sport the TrackID feature which lets you access the name and artist of a track which you currently hear.

Verizon Wireless unveils Samsung Reality Stateside

2010-05-30T10:15:00.002-07:00

Do you live in the US, and are currently looking for a new phone? Granted, there are virtually tons of handsets to choose from, and most folks would probably veer towards the smartphone variety, ultimately whittling their choices down to an iPhone or a BlackBerry. For those who want to try something different, why not give other handsets a chance instead of the two mentioned models? Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) have teamed up to bring the Samsung Reality from April 22nd onwards, where this sleek and stylish model will come in Piano Black and City Red colors, bringing a 3″ touch screen display, full horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard, customizable widgets, and multiple messaging options to the fore

T-Mobile Garminfone is coming to the US

2010-05-30T10:15:00.001-07:00

Love having convergence devices, especially cellphones that come with GPS navigation capability? Well, you’ll be stoked to know that T-Mobile USA has just announced that they will be bringing the new Garminfone to the masses on an exclusive basis. This is the first Android-powered smartphone that sports a fully integrated Garmin premium navigation experience to help you get from point A to point B without having you get lost. Touted to hit the market later this spring, the Garminfone is a sleek, full-touch 3G smartphone that boasts a large 3.5″ screen, and we can check out the rest of its specifications right after the jump.

ShoutOUT speech recognition app now on the Android Market

2010-05-30T10:14:00.004-07:00

Promptu Systems Corporation’s latest free speech recognition app known as SoutOUT is now available on the Android Market, where it allows users to compose text messages in natural speech instead of lettingt their fingers to all the typing. Motorolad Droid owners will be able to check out this app over the Android Market, although we do have our reservations as to the accuracy of such an app – how fast is it able to detect the number of words spoken, and will it be able to handle non-native English speakers? Still, ShoutOUT bears some merit since at point of publishing, there are no other Android speech recognition app that can be used for text messaging, including Google Voice functionality in Android 2.1, which is able to hold a candle to ShoutOUT’s accuracy which has been fully integrated with the Android SMS client. Apart from that, it relies on Smartword, Promptu’s editing tool that allows users to see and select from likely word alternatives.

Vodafone UK customers able to get their hands on the Nexus One

2010-05-30T10:14:00.003-07:00

Looks like the superphone known as the Google Nexus One is finally made available legally for folks in the UK, as long as they decide to tie themselves down to a contract for the next couple of years with Vodafone. This makes Vodafone UK the first European mobile operator to release the Google Nexus One, and folks who place a pre-order online will be the first to get a legit Nexus One on the continent for free, albeit having to agree to a £35 monthly price plan for 24 months from tomorrow onwards. Apart from being online, you can also check out the Nexus One at Vodafone stores and telesales, with the added advantage of having Vodafone provide direct support to customers with the superphone when you require such assistance.

HTC Droid Incredible hits Verizon Wireless

2010-05-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

The HTC Droid Incredible is ready to rock and roll Stateside, where it will arrive today at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores. Of course, for folks who prefer to do their shopping online, there is always the option of pointing your browser to www.verizonwireless.com and place an order for this, er, incredible handset. The asking price for the Droid Incredible? It is going for a relatively affordable $199.99, although this is after sending in a $100 mail-in rebate and committing yourself to a spanking new two-year customer agreement. If you have been holding out for a brand new smartphone, the HTC Droid Incredible could very well be a decent purchase, unless of course, you are looking at the iPhone 4G which is touted to overcome many of the current iPhone 3GS’ weaknesses. The choice is yours, but before you make it, why not check out the HTC Droid Incredible in greater detail after the jump?

Phone for the elderly has SOS function

2010-05-30T10:13:00.005-07:00

Alright so this does look highly similar to the joke remote controls that you give anyone turning 40 or 50, but this does have a lot of useful qualities. When you’re half blind, you might want a cellphone that allows for you to read the numbers easily. If an elderly person normally has to whip out the reading glasses to read the numbers, then this would save them the hassle. Plus there is also an added function for those emergency situations.

Vodafone rolls out Palm Pixi Plus in Spain this month

2010-05-30T10:13:00.003-07:00

Folks living in Spain might have wondered why is it they have yet to receive the Palm Pixi Plus after all this while, and we bring good news that this easy-to-use smartphone will be making its way to the Basque country this coming May 10th before the name of the handset is officially changed to the HP Pixi Plus. Yes, Palm might not be in the best position financially at press time, but at least there is a certain sense of security attached when you make your choice to pick up the Pixi Plus after knowing that HP has rode up on its horse, ready to rescue Palm from the evil clutches of bankruptcy. Folks in Spain who are subscribers of Vodafone might want to consider this simple smartphone in a week’s time if they are ready to renew their contract for a new phone.

Microsoft Communicator Mobile for Nokia smartphones

2010-05-30T10:13:00.001-07:00

Nokia’s smartphone market share has taken quite a beating over the past couple of years or so, with the rise of the Apple iPhone as well as the introduction of newer players to the market including Android-powered handsets. Well, that doesn’t mean that Nokia does not have a commanding lead – the Finnish cellphone company has come up with some pretty neat devices over the past year, and this time aims to improve the productivity level of their devices with and alliance with Microsoft, resulting in the Microsoft Communicator Mobile. This new unified communications client will hook up directly with a company’s communications systems, helping streamline mobile collaboration. As long as you own a Nokia E72 or E52, you will be able to download the English version today from Nokia’s Ovi Store to get started right away

Sprint offers Samsung Seek officially

2010-05-30T10:12:00.002-07:00

Sprint has announced a brand new cellphone for the masses Stateside, where you will be able to pick yet another touchscreen device that also sports a full slide out QWERTY keyboard if you’re a messaging and email fiend – we’re talking about the the Samsung Seek, also known as the Samsung M350 if model numbers are your cup of tea. This 3G phone will come in a trio of color options alongside an easy-to-use, customizable menu system that provides instant access to their favorite features and applications. Basically, this is a phone that aims to bring the best of messaging features as well as multimedia favorites in a compact and stylish design, where you can choose from Cool Blue and Scarlet Red colors for a mere $29.99, with of course, the now customary new two-year service agreement and this also after a $50 mail-in rebate. For those who can wait until June 6th, you will then be able to pick it up in Fantasy Pink.

Verizon Wireless announces LG Ally

2010-05-30T10:12:00.001-07:00

Watched Iron Man 2 already? Well, you would probably have seen LG made an appearance early in the movie when Tony was facing off with Senator Stern, where he hijacked the rest of the video transmission system using his touchscreen, translucent LG handset from the future. Well, many of us won’t mind toting one of those, but too bad it is just a concept at this point in time – perhaps in a decade, we could see an equivalent hit the market. After all, we’re pretty sure that many of us were amazed at the multi-touch interface seen in Minority Report a few years back, and it is nice to know that technology has caught on recently, with a plethora of devices going the multi-touch way. Back to the topic at hand, the LG Ally will arrive at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores from May 20th onwards, making it the first Android device from LG in the US. For those who can’t wait, pre-orders can be placed from today onwards.