iMate officially launches Ultimate site

After all the leaks, rumors, and hype, ClubiMate has officially launched the Ultimate section of their website.

All five models, including the convertible tablet-like 7150 (about the size of my old iPaq 6315, but with a full keyboard!) to my personal favorite, the 9150 flip phone, include the following:

•	Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6 Professional
•	Processor: Intel Bulverde 520MHz
•	Quad-Band GSM/EDGE
•	Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 or 850/1700/2100
•	Memory: 256MB ROM + 128 MB RAM
•	Screen: VGA 262K Color LCD Touch Screen
•	WiFi 802.11b/g/e/i
•	Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR - up t 1.3 Mbps
•	Mini USB high speed - 480 Mbps
•	Direct Video Out XGA
•	Micro-SD card slot
•	2.0 mega pixel camera
•	Battery: 1400mAh
•	FM Stereo Radio

Pictures at the site! Latest rumor of a release date is still June or so, so I guess the only real question is, what’s it gonna cost to get the one you want?

Dual Touchscreen Laptop

V12 Engineering has built the holy grail: a dual touchscreen laptop (click on ENG, then 2 (portfolio), then the pic of the closed laptop to view the pics - the site is all Flash). One side can be the interface, including a keyboard, drawing app, music, or whatever you want, or you can use both to read a newspaper. Portrait or landscape, flat, angle, or whatever you want, this is a really beautiful device.

No info there on price, specs or anything else, but this sweetie is available in Italy & Australia.

If it only ran Vista, OSX, or Linux…

A unique PPC design

OKWAP of Taiwan is releasing a new idea for Pocket PC phones - a virtual D-Pad based on the numeric keypad! To navigate, just use the 5 key as your center button and the surrounding number buttons as the rest of the pad.

The phone is referred to as a "Smartphone" in the GearFuse article, but it’s actually a PPC phone. It includes a stylus, touchscreen, 416Mhz CPU, 128MB ROM and 64MB RAM, SD or MMC cards, GPRS, Bluetooth and Infrared. The S868 will starting selling in Taiwan late February for $470, and there’s little chance we’ll see it. Nice idea for navigation, though, no?

Chinese version of the iPhone coming in 2008?

Most reviewers of the upcoming iPhone (or whatever it ends up being called) had one major issue - no 3G connectivity.

Looks like there’s hope - for part of the world, at least. iPhoneCT ha posted information about the Meizu M8 that will support both GSM and the Chinese TD-SCDMA 3G radio.

By the way, it also has Bluetooth, a 3.3-inch 720×480 display, and a 3-megapixel camera capable of recording video at 30fps at full resolution, which some digital cameras can’t do. Nicely sized at 57×105×11.5mm.

Oakley MP3 headset - comes with the phone

Digital World Tokyo posted their opinion (and it’s not a good one) of the upcoming Toshiba 911T slider that comes with a pair of Oakley wireless headphone sunglasses.

The phone comes out in March and works on Softbank Japan’s 3.6Mbit/s HSDPA network, has a 3-in screen, 1GB of internal flash memory, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and an MS Office document viewer.

Coming soon, Nokia n99?

The latest rumor making the gadget rounds is this possible concept phone/fantasy Photoshop pic, the Nokia N99. Originally spotted at BigBerries, this phone supposedly will sport 16GB flash memory, GPS navigation, MP3 player, video (DIVX, XVID, MPEG and AVI), document reader, WLAN, WiFi and an 8 megapixel camera.

All the sites who bounce this around unanimously express doubt, but also awe… Your opinions?

A VERY small Bluetooth headset

Julie over at the Gadgeteer has posted a review of the BlueTake BT400GL. It’s ridiculously small and comes in, as she puts it, "girly flashy pink and manly silver". She has more pics in the review and a good rundown of its capabilities.

Among other fine points, it includes a vibrate mode for silent notification, BT 1.1 & 1.2 compatibility, and up to EIGHTEEN HOURS of talk time!

Open source linux phone vs iPhone

OpenMoko released their Neo1973 last November, but only now is it getting the attention it probably deserves. The Linux-based OpenMoko FIC phone gives us one thing the iPhone absolutely won’t: third party apps.

120.7 x 62 x 18.5 (mm) 
2.8" VGA (480×640) TFT Screen 
Samsung s3c2410
GPS
Ti GPRS (2.5G not EDGE)
Unpowered USB 1.1
Micro-sd
2.5mm audio jack
128 MB SDRAM
64 MB NAND Flash

More pics at the Gizmodo link.

Source: OpenMoko via Gizmodo

Finger-touch Cellphone

The crew at Yanko Design have announced another way to input info into your phone:

"A wearable mobile device for enhanced chatting. It introduces a new wearable device that anyone can communicate with that is easier and lighter in mobile circumstances corresponding to the 3.5G, 4G communication standard. Human hand is the most basic communication method. For easier and simpler controls, it uses the instinctive input method “finger joint”. Excluding the thumb, each finger joint makes up twelve buttons, with “the knuckle button”, using the cell phone’s 3X4 keypad, likely being the most popular input method."

What’s so great about this? The idea that there’s more than one way to push buttons on your phone. The info quoted above is pretty much all you’ll get from the website, but it looks like it projects the numbers & letters onto your fingers, and they’re read the same way as the i.Tech Virtual Keyboard mentioned earlier.

Think about this for a minute. How and why would you use this? Would you wear it on your hand like this all day, then line up your hand just so to type, call, etc? Probably not, but that’s not the point.

Just consider this also: no matter how much the iPhone (or whatever it ends up being called) stirs the imaginations & envy of the mobile community, it’s not likely that a lot of us (as in WM users) will buy one. Why? Because our phones, both PPC & Smartphone, already do basically everything the iPhone does and more. Plus the interface isn’t the greatest. Just for the heck of it, this weekend I changed my cLaunch settings to emulate the iPhone screen. It’s pretty, but I still have to hit the Calendar button to see my appointments for the day. My wife’s Samsung i320 Smartphone had to have a third-party app so she could see more than one line of her appointments & tasks (why Microsoft hasn’t fixed this yet…). Our phones give us more information by default. If I want my phone to look & work like an iPhone, I basically have to cripple it.

The upshot of all this is that the iPhone and this finger-touch phone aren’t the be-all end-all of mobile communication, but they get the ideas out there for everyone else. A touchscreen-only phone has already been out there for a few months before Apple got into the act. Remember, they didn’t come up with anything new; they just packaged it better. There were dozens of portable MP3 players before the iPod came along, and look what happened.

Personally, I think the end result is the Bluetooth earbud-sized device that actually contains the ENTIRE cellular phone. It syncs via BT, is voice-activated, and when you need an actual screen, connects to something like the Nomad video specs. Maybe stick a sensor on the glasses so they can pick up movement of your hands & fingers so you can type, or just take voice command. We have the technology to do all this now; we just haven’t made the PDA phone small enough yet. Of course, that’s just my opinion; I could be wrong.

The new iMate PDAL

iMate has announced it’s latest WM5 phone, the PDAL. Here are the specs:

• Windows Mobile 5, AKU 3.2
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Quad Band
• WiFi b/g, stereo Bluetooth 1.2
• 128mb ROM, 64mb RAM
• MicroSD
• 2 megapixel camera w/ 4x digital zoom
• 2.4" touchscreen
• USB Sync & Charge
• No QWERTY keyboard, and smaller than the JAQ3

Available at the end of January; no pricing yet.

Check out these FLICKR Photos Chris took at CES too:

  

Steve Jobs announces the iPhone

At MacWorld 2007, Steve Jobs’ keynote talks about a lot of wonderful things Apple is doing these days, but he stopped the show with his demo of (finally!) the iPhone.

The guys at Engadget were there and posted a running commentary along with a LOT of pics from the address, but the upshot is that the iPhone is a combination of a video iPod (plays music & video in landscape or widescreen), a Wii controller (has an accelerometer that switches to landscape view when you hold it that way), and one of the smartest, coolest phones you’ll ever see. It has a 3.5 inch touchscreen, comes in 4gb and 8gb flavors, ranges from $499-$599 with a new Cingular contract, runs OSX (!), has Bluetooth 2 and WiFi, has an iPod interface, is 11.6mm thick (thinner than a Blackjack), and has sensors that turn off the screen when you hold the phone to your face and automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient light. Available in June.

Update: Apple’s iPhone page is now up and it gives more details: 115mm x 61mm x 11.6, making it MUCH longer, wider, and thinner than, say, a treo 750. Quad-band and EDGE (no 3G). 3.5 inch touchscreen, 320 by 480 at 160 ppi. 2.0 megapixel camera. No word on processor specs or other memory stats beyond the 4 & 8gb sizes.

The Samsung Google-Phone

Samsung and Google Align to Create Rich Experience for Mobile Phone Users Worldwide

Cooperation ensures quick and easy access to Google^TM search, Google Maps^TM for mobile, and a fast, new Gmail^TM application for Samsung enthusiasts worldwide

Seoul, Korea and Las Vegas (Consumer Electronics Show) - January 8, 2007 - Samsung, a leading provider and innovator of mobile phones, and Google Inc. today announced a global cooperation to enable mobile phone users worldwide with quick and easy access to Google^TM products and services - directly from their Samsung mobile phones.

Samsung mobile phones equipped with Google^TM applications will enable consumers to search information, find locations, and manage their email on the move. Samsung’s mobile phones offer today’s latest technologies with unique applications and mobile designs. Now, the combination of Google^TM applications and Samsung’s advanced mobile devices represents two companies’ dedication to offering a hassle-free mobile Internet experience for consumers world-wide.

Beginning in early 2007, selected Samsung phones will be provided with a range of Google^TM products and services aimed to create a more dynamic user experience, including:

• Google^TM search: Samsung handsets will include a Google^TM icon in the application menu, providing users with one-click access to Google^TM search
• Google Maps^TM for mobile: Also featured on Samsung handsets will be Google Maps^TM for mobile, an application that enables users to view maps and satellite imagery, find local businesses, and get driving directions when they’re on the go
• Gmail^TM: Gmail^TM for mobile devices, a new application that brings more speed, convenience, and functionality to the mobile Gmail^TM experience, will also be available on Samsung handsets

Samsung has already launched, the Ultra Edition 13.8 (SGH-Z720), its first mobile handset installed with Google^TM mobile search and Gmail^TM services. The slim 3G Z720 is only 13.8mm in thinness, is HSDPA ready, and comes with a 3-megapixel camera, MP3 Player, and Bluetooth connectivity. The HSDPA connectivity combined with embedded an Internet browser and Google^TM mobile services will provide users with a rich mobile Internet experience. Future models will also be Google-ready as consumers continue to demand trouble-free mobile Internet access. Consumers will enjoy and appreciate Samsung’s simple-to-use user interface and Google’s familiarity for an effortless mobile Internet experience

"We are very thrilled to introduce Samsung mobiles with one-click access to Google services. Our cooperation with Google exemplifies our commitment to leading the evolution from the fixed-Internet era to a mobile Internet era and ushering in a ubiquitous world where mobile enables our consumers to access information about anything, anywhere, anytime," said Kitae Lee, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Network Business. "Samsung and Google will enhance users’ mobile experience with a powerful, yet easy-to-use handset with simple access to information and personal management."

"Google is dedicated to providing users around the world with easier access information and services when they are mobile. Working with an industry leader like Samsung is a great way to accomplish that," said Deep Nishar, director of wireless products and strategy for Google Inc. "Improving the mobile user experience is of paramount importance to both Samsung and Google, and by working together we’ll be able to bring the power, functionality, and convenience of Google^TM search, Google Maps^TM for mobile, and Gmail^TM for mobile devices to millions of Samsung users across the globe."

Source: Google Press Release

Two more UMPCs to make you salivate

Ok, I admit it; desktops are nice, laptops are great, tablets are awesome, and my little HTC Wizard does ALMOST everything I need, but then you get a look at these guys.

First, there’s the Sony UX Premium Micro PC. This updated version has a 32GB flash-based hard drive, so no moving parts, better battery life, less heat, and faster access to your data.

You could buy this in Japan since September, but the U.S. edition is hitting stores in February for about $2,500.

Source: Crave

Next is the one I REALLY want: OQO’s 02. An update to the 01 & the 0+, the 02 runs MS Vista on a 1.5GHz CPU, sports a 60GB HD and 1GB RAM. It also has BT, WiFi, EV-DO, USB, HDMI, a backlit slideout QWERTY and TouchScrollers for easier navigation (bottom right corner).

Should be available by the end of March for around $1,500.

Source: Pocket PC City ( Our photos can be seen here )

Kensington’s Bluetooth PCMCIA phone

Kensington will be releasing a Bluetooth phone that docks & charges in your laptops PCMCIA slot, just like the MoGo BT mouse. You can flip out the microphone to talk on it like a phone or fold it back, stand it up, and turn on the speakerphone. It’s compatible with Skype, Yahoo Live Messenger, and GoogleTalk, costs about $90, and the charge lasts for up to 30 hours of talk time!

The only downsides are that a) it won’t work for Mac users, and b) anyone who already has a BT headset probably won’t want to give that up for something this complicated. It does look nice, though!

 

FASTAP phone now available

The ALLTEL AG LX490 with FASTAP is now available in the US. FASTAP is a fairly new interface technology that combines raised & lowered keys for greater functionality on different form factors, basically giving you more keys to play with on a smaller phone. Check out the Digit Wireless website for demos and more information.

This kind of innovation makes me happy, as I’m one of those people who likes having the convenience of a keyboard but don’t really care for the bulk. I previously carried a ThinkOutside Stowaway for my PDA, then had an attachable thumbboard for my HP iPaq 6315. Now I have a slideout QWERTY for my Wizard 200, and only the Wizard is handy enough to actually use on the fly.

This reminds me of another keyboard innovation: the "butterfly" keys on the Samsung SGH-i770, which has two-sided keys that represent a different keystroke depending on which side you press, but in number mode either side emits the number. And it’s a PPC flipphone, not a smartphone. Can’t wait, but I digress…