So here we are, it has been a decent amount of time now since the release of the iPhone. For the most part people seem to be pretty happy with the iPhone. I have had the chance to play with for a little while and it definitely does what it's intended to do. What prompted me to write this article though, is not to write a review but to shed some light on all of the unlocking hoopla bouncing around right now.
Anyone that knows me knows that I am strong supporter of unlocked phones. When I heard that the iPhone was able to be unlocked by the software solutions announced last week I was overjoyed. Does it mean I would buy an iPhone, probably not, but at least it would give people the freedom to move from GSM provider to GSM provider and roam in countries without paying gigantic fees to the provider they are with.
I am not sure you have been following this news as it's been unfolding but last week when the unlocking software was supposed to be released to the public, AT&T dropped a legal letter on UniquePhones' desk. At this point the software release has been suspended indefinitely. Obviously it's not like Apple should care, sales of iPhones would go up if people could use them more freely. AT&T on the other hand is afraid of losing the exclusivity that has attracted 500,000+ new customers to buy and iPhone from them. They do have every right to be afraid of losing exclusivity but they do not have a right to prevent people from getting decent prices on service while going overseas. I also believe that they do not have the right to leave people with a brick of a gadget at the end of their service contract, you should be able to take your device to whom you please.
As it is now, an unnamed person has layed out a bounty of $100,000 for the release of the software unlock to the public. Another individual recieved his bill after traveling overseas to find out that his bill was over $2000. This particular indiviual has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple because he feels (and he is correct) that if his phone was unlocked from the beginning or if he had the ability to unlock it then he would be able to put a SIM in his phone from the country he traveled to, avoiding extra charges. Although I don't think suing Apple will accomplish what he is looking for, I can say that I don't necessarily think he is out of line going after someone in this instance.
(Keep in mind, any and all views expressed in my blog are not the views expressed by Opera or the My Opera Community.)
Many people are overjoyed to see the new IM-U170 from Pantech. But they can be as overjoyed as they want because we won't see it in any place but Korea for a very long time. So without further ado I tease you with all the features of the IM-U170 that you won't be able to carry around in your pocket until they make a GSM version that you can buy anywhere in the world.
Right off the bat you will notice a sleek, minimalist styled clamshell that looks amazing and sports a one line OLED display. When you flip it open you are greeted by EL(electroluminescense) based buttons(a first as far as I know) as well as a nice large 2.2" display sporting 260k colors. Apparently there is a beautiful GUI that is very intuitive and offers up a very computer like interface with a multi-tasking mp3 player, dictionary and MS Office document viewer. Is there a camera you ask? Of course, on the outside there is a 2mp CMOS camera with Autofocus as well as a VGA camera on the inside for all those video calls you need to make. What is exciting about the camera on this phone is that it has facial recognition to help determine the best settings to take the best shot. To round out this package, the whole phone is metal, inside and out to make for a fashionable but tough phone. So keep dreaming mobile boy, it's not coming to a town near you, at least not yet.
One of my favorite devices over the past year has been the Nokia 770, I own one, it's great. Its a pretty amazing thing to have what is basically a full blown computer in your pocket runs a very capable version of Linux. Nokia has decided to bump up their 770 and rename it the N800, making it an official part of Nokia's prestigious N series of "mobile computers". Although not a lot of changes were made, there was definitely enough to warrant a new exterior and a new model scheme altogether. What they have added to this already capable device is a VGA camer with video VOIP capabilities, Dual SD card slots that replace the MMC Mobile slot, a new case design, dual stereo speakers, 128mb internal memory(up from 64m)and a scroll rocker button for web browsing. All in all I feel that this update offers some great improvements that make an allready fantastic device even better.
Everyone's favorite designer phone brand, Vertu(a division of Nokia), has gone a bit crazy. I think Samuel L. Jackson might put it best by saying: "I have had it with these motherf***ing snakes on this motherf***ing phone", or something like that. But seriously, Vertu has gone from making their standard super expensive steel, gold and platinum phones to making an extremely gawdy mobile with a snake encrusted in Diamonds, emeralds and 439 rubies attached to the front. Unfortunately for anyone that actually likes the look of this Signature Cobra model there will only be 8 made and the price is a quaint $310,000. Apparently there will be 26 cheap "Python" models made as well so that you can get your fix for only $115,00. In any case, they would have to acually pack some decent features in the mobile for me to purchase one, that is if I even had $310,000 burning a hole in my pocket.
I have never really been a fan of these things myself. I think people look goofy especially when driving down the road and talking, making it look like they are talking to themselves. Nonetheless it appears that Aliph is releasing the ultimate in in bluetooth headset technology with the Jawbone. The Jawbone features "military grade" noise canceling as well as skin friendly medical grade plastic combine these features with a very sleek and refined design and you have one beatiful headset that just might not look so goofy. For a little demonstration I am including the YouTube video so you can see this thing in action. Enjoy!
I often get people asking me questions about mobile phones(comes with being a gadget geek I guess). But more often than not people tell me that they just want a simple phone with none of the bells and whistles like a camera, or web browser, or... well you get the idea. Well, to all those people out there looking for simplicity, your time has come. Motorola has recently released a revolutionary new phone in India that is simple yet its the first of it's kind. I am talking about the Motofone F3. What's so revolutionary about the F3 you ask? E-ink technology. E-ink is that amazing new technology that is being used for displays on things like Sony's eReader, e-ink only uses power when you switch pages, or in this case, when you are inputing a phone number. Since the F3 doesn't have any of the bells and whistles the predicted price in the US will be a quaint $50 without a service contract, yes you heard me right, only $50 with your choice of wireless provider to use it with. Of course Motorola was kind enough to include some svelte looks ala it's SLVR series of phone and with that you get the style you love at a price that is nearly non existent in comparison to other phones.
So today I am featuring a product that I recently had a chance to test out. If you are familiar with Matrox then you are aware of their dedication to throwing more displays at the issue of lack of desktop space. For years Matrox has been manufacturing video cards with dual heads and possibly even more. But this year they released a product to take a single head card and make it useful with two or even three more displays. The device I am talking about is the DualHead2Go, or in the case of three displays, the TripleHead2Go. Recently when I was at work I had a user express the need for a laptop but he wanted extra workspace so we ordered up a laptop as well as a DualHead2Go to essentially give him 3 displays(the laptop display plus 2 external). I have to admit, I was skeptical at first but frankly there was nothing to it. I plugged in the DualHead2GO, plugged 2 displays into it and then fired up the laptop. The only thing I had to do was mess with the display properties to display everything where I needed. Basically what the DualHead2Go does is trick the computer into seeing one display with a larger than normal resolution, in this case I set up the external displays to do 2048x768. You can add additional functionality to the device by installing a small software install that will make the two external displays act more independent. In this situation I would say it was a great deal because with a laptop you aren't left with many options. If you were thinking about using this on a desktop ou might want to just check out a new video card as you will save yourself some money, unless you plan on breaking out a dual head card into four displays, or perhaps six with the TripleHead2Go. All in all it's a great product that is very easy to use.
You know, everytime something Hello Kitty comes out it's tough to disregard it being that Hello Kitty carries with her a pile of cuteness to every gadget she adorns. The DC500 Hello Kitty is no exception. This camera seems to carry with it a standard feature set being a 5mp Camera with a 2" Display. But really, do people that love Hello Kitty so much actually go out looking for the latest and greatest, naw. This camera looks as if it will work perfectly good for your general consumer and with the 32mb of built in memory there is enough room to get started shooting right away. Of course they do include expansion in the form of an SD slot as well. Slated for release outside of Japan you ask? Who knows, but I am sure you could import from somewhere online. Keep it up Sanrio, oh how we love thee.
Whatever you wanna call it, it falls into the category that I really hold a place for in my heart. I am big fan of all things that are more portable than a laptop but larger than a pda. There really is a happy medium for a "truly portable" device, this device may have hit that happy medium on the head.
The Kohjinsha SA1F00 is one of the devices that is nice and small but it has the capabilities to do anything a regular computer can(ok maybe not play top of the line games, but you understand). What really makes this stand out above and beyond is the fact that A. it has a nice price range, $750 for one with 40gb of HD space or $930 for one with an 80gb HD and Office installed. and B. because it so portable yet it has all the same aspects as a standard laptop, wifi, bluetooth, up to 1gb of ram, 5 hours of battery life. This portable wonder packs a 533mhz AMD Geode processor, which may not sound like much but for a device like this it's more than plenty. Now only if I could ditch the OS for a flavor of linux it would be great in my book(it comes standard with Windows XP). I think though that I will have to stick with my favorite portable computer of choice, the Nokia 770, oh the touch screeny goodness.
In an interesting bit of news, Opera has announced today that Opera Mini is now available for download for both the Treo and the Blackberry. All I can say about this is the more devices that can use Opera in any form the better off the world will be. I have been using Opera Mini since it first came around and frankly its one of the greatest bits of portable software around. If you are a Treo or Blackberry user then I highly recommend you rush over and download it. Download Opera Mini Here!
I had a couple of items piled up that I figured I would toss into one post. Everyone needs a mouse to go with their computer so I present you today with a couple of very interesting mice to fit a couple of needs. The first is a collection of mice designed by a company named Kokuyo. They have come with a fantastic collection of very eye pleasing mice to suit the visual likes of the pickier crowd of computer users. The collection is called Marimekko and it has five different designs in floral and fruit prints. I feel that if you are out to buy a mouse like this, who cares about the specs, you will buy the mouse regardless.
The next mouse is by one of my favorite computer peripheral companies, Elecom. Elecom puts all kinds of very interesting and well priced devices along the lines of mice, keyboard and headphones. While browsing some of the newest items over at www.jlist.com/www.jbox.com (everyones favorite Japanese import store) I came across a very good idea for a portable mouse. The model number of the mouse appears to be M-MBDURWH and M-MBDURBK and it seems to be simply called the Wireless Mobile Mouse. But most impressive about this mobile mouse is that it comes in a hard case to carry it in that has a little USB cable inside the case as well. When you take the cordless mouse out of the case and plug the case in to your computer it acts as the RF transceiver for the mouse. Of course it wouldn't be complete if it didn't have an attractive design, with the squared off design of this mouse it will surely catch some stares.
It seems that all the buzz going about today is all hovering around the Samsung YP-K5 digital audio player, and for good reason. Samsungs newest addition to the world of dap's will come out in the US on September 10th and be available in 1gb, 2gb and 4gb models. It appears that this device is rather bulky in size but it has an excuse for such bulkyness. Hidden on the backside of the player is a pair of sliding speakers that instantly convert your personal player into a miniature boombox of sorts. All of the buttons on this device are touch sensitive and appear non existent when the unit is turned off. This device will display pictures just like the iPod and will also do slideshows to your favorite music, to add to the fun you can use the YP-K5 as your morning wake up in the form of an alarm clock. The device houses USB 2 for data transfer and will support mp3,wma,ogg,asf and jpg. Overall it has a beautiful design and certainly looks like a great iPod alternative, that is unless you have an entire library of music in aac format. Pricing for the player will be $210 for the 2gb, and $260 for the 4gb(no announcement on the 1gb model).
Technology is great in many different ways, communication, information, entertainment, heck even personal hygene. I find it interesting the new approach that Philips has taken at body grooming gear. I think this is the first time that I have ever seen a company come right out and market a device for grooming your nether regions. The best part about this is that Philips has dedicated an entire website to the product that's chock full of entertaining videos. The product is the Bodygroom and like I said, they market it for trimming all those pesky hairy areas, the device itself is rechargeable and has an interesting electric/non electric hybrid design that is fully waterproof(might want to use a hairstopper on your shower drain). Without further ado here is the link you have all been waiting for: SHAVE EVERYWHERE
With the speed at which mobile phone technology is advancing these days it was only a matter of minutes before someone took the "Music Phone" to the next level. Samsung is the company to do so with the brand new model, SCH-B570, sporting an absolutely amazing 8gb of flash memory. In case you were thinking that 8gb of music still wasn't enough for your likes they have added a MicroSD expansion slot. What makes this mobile even more amazing is that they put it in such a sleek looking figure and then managed to still fit a 2 megapixel camera inside and apparently an S-DMB receiver to recieves korean broadcasts and bluetooth. This should be pretty a pretty spectacular handset, I do find it interesting that they decided to use Windows Mobile 5 for the OS though. If you live in Korea you can expect to see this handset on the shelves shortly but if you are a Samsung employee in Korea then you have been banned from using this mobile, apparently Samsung views this phone as a security risk for their employees to use.
There has recently been a pile of "interesting" reviews on the DS Browser. What I find interesting about these reviews is that they seem a little less than accurate. I mean to say that I received my DS Browser a couple weeks ago and in order to give it a fair review I have been using it almost exclusively, in fact I am writing this post from my DS Lite. The first time I had a chance to play with the browser I only had a couple hours to use it, so the best way to get a really good feel for it would be to use it all the time.
Contrary to recent reviews I have found that the DS browser is absolutely functional in every day use. I noticed shortly after I started using the browser that it is quite nice not being bombarded by flash based ads that are incredibly unnecessary. Yes, I know, many people would say the lack of flash and java are a bad thing but there is something to be said for quick browsing on a small, simple device that fits in your pocket. I have been bringing my DS with me everywhere including my work where it comes in handy for me to check my work email when I am nowhere near my desk or on lunch break. Obviously the browser also works great when you hit the coffee shop for a little pick me up.
When it comes to useability I have found that the two view options(small screen rendering and DS mode) that the browser offers give you the freedom of choice to put each website's best foot forward. For example, sites based mostly in text(like slashdot) work better in small screen rendering whereas sites with a lot of pictures(like google images or similar sites) work much better in Ds mode since it uses the handy magnifier. In general the browser will load any site faster in small screen rendering so if you are browsing a bloated site like *ahem*ign.com, then you might want go there in small screen rendering mode and switch when you arrive. Switching between view modes is a snap with a simple button for each of the two modes on the bottom of the screen. It only takes a couple seconds to switch from view to view.
Entering text is simple as well, as you can see. The on screen keyboard has proven to be incredibly efficient. Since I seem to be faster overall on the keyboard I have chosen to use it a majority of the time although the time I have spent using the handwriting recognition I have found it works better than I expected. As long as you use the center of the four quadrants as your focal point when using the handwriting recognition then you are as good as golden. I would say that learning to write on the DS is a much quicker process than learning grafitti on a Palm, and even that is a quick process. I plan on using the handwriting recognition the quicker I get at it.
All in all people need to understnd that the DS isn't incredibly zippy to begin with and as long as you learn how to use the DS Browser to it's full extent then you will be right at home. Yes, bloated sites will load a little slow, but play with the viewing modes to optimize your experience. All in all the majority of the internet loads at perfectly acceptable speeds for everyday browsing including checking your email at places like Gmail and Yahoo. I highly recommend that anyone that owns a Nintendo DS pick up one of the DS Browser as it supplies you with an excellent means to access the internet from anywhere that Wifi is available. My opinion on the DS Browser hasn't changed from my original review and I still believe that this is an amazing way to get online at a completely unrivaled price tag($129.99USD for the DS Lite + $29.99USD for the DS Browser).
WIDGETIZE