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Noah checks out the Nokia E63, an unlocked GSM smartphone that's the E71's little brother. E63 keeps the S60 platform, great QWERTY board, and 3G/WiFI connectivity that E71 has, but drops the HSDPA and GPS, and trades a metal body for plastic in order to cut costs. At $250 street price, E63 looks like a lot of phone for the money.

The blogs have been buzzing about Samsung's Alias 2 (SCH-U750) and its eminent arrival in the U.S., pegging its release to May 11th on Verizon Wireless.

Perhaps you've already written this handset off as an illustration of some powerful ugly. Or maybe — just maybe — you've taken a page from the Susan Boyle story, and know not to judge a book by its cover. (If you don't know what I'm talking about... well, jeez. The frumpy Scottish spinster's been all over the news for knocking the socks off "Britain's Got Talent" judges. But I digress.)

If you can overlook the clunky, circa-1999 stylings of this device, you'll be rewarded with some cool tech beneath the surface. Engadget figures the Alias 2 may be the first "E Ink" handset to be launched in the U.S.

Pics via PhoneArena

The phone uses the electronic ink to create a dynamic keyboard. That, coupled with dual hinges (like the ones in its predecessor, the U740), forms a novel system that changes inputs depending on how the user opens the device. In other words, as a portrait clamshell, the device displays a standard, numbered keypad. Flipping it open in landscape morphs the keyboard into a full QWERTY.

The Alias 2 also features a 2.6-inch QVGA display, 2 MP camera, hot keys for direct access to Bluetooth, text messaging, voicemail, camera, voice commands, games and alarms.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed, with guesses ranging from $79 up to $200 250 (what Verizon charges for its other feature phones). At the low end, that would be quite some value. But at the upper — well, chances are that you're a pretty die-hard nerd/texting freak/early adopter if you're willing to cough up the full $250.


[Via PhoneArena, Engadget and BoyGenius Report]

Ron checks out what might be the best iPhone game evar: Tiger Woods PGA Tour from Electronic Games. $9.99 is a lot for an iPhone/iPod game, but Tiger might be worth it.

Guest Mobile Gaming Editor Ron takes a look at Metal Gear Solid for iPhone & iPod Touch. How does this shooter translate to the small screen? Check it out.

The first day of a new month brings with it a wealth of interesting, exciting and downright odd news stories from the mobile phone world.  Here’s a collection of ten which may have passed you by during the final week of April.

1.  Samsung Launch Tocco Lite.

The Tocco Lite is a 12mm thick handset seemingly designed for the user who’s a fan of social networking, as it has standard widgets for both Facebook and MySpace.  A 3 megapixel camera with QVGA video shooting, a MicroSD card slot and an FM radio are among the other features on the phone.

2.  HD Video Coming to Mobile Phones?

Renesas Technology Europe have developed a new chip suitable for mobile phones which has enough power to drive full HD video - that’s 1920×1080 - shooting!  What’s more is that this low-power chip can also record in Dolby Digital and enhance the sound and equalisation at the same time, thanks to two dedicated audio modules.  Who will be the first to incorporate such a processor into their phones, we wonder?

3.  Samsung I7500 on Video.

If our report on the forthcoming Samsung I7500 Android mobile phone whetted your appetite, here’s some more pictures and a strangely silent video for a closer look at the (more…)

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

Motorola’s mobile division are continuing their beautiful swan dive from last year, but without the pool of water or the justification that you’re meant to be going down.  They’ve posted losses of two hundred million pounds in this first quarter alone, meaning that if you read this sentence without hundred pounds falling out of your pocket you are better at business than Motorola.

The main problem is cellphone sales, or the lack thereof, as figures were almost cut in half.  Not a dip, not a drop, they were nearly bisected entirely with a plunge of 45%.  For those with math skills: one more drop like that, and Motorola mobiles will barely exist at all.

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

The first book known to be written entirely on a mobile phone was a novel written by Japanese fiction author Yoshi back in 2000. This year has marked the transition of this trend to American and European authors with some authors even making it onto the bestseller lists with their cell phone novels. What has happened in the intervening years? Let’s take a look back at the short history of books written on mobile phones. Then we can take a moment to think about what may come next in this new genre of tech writing.

Yoshi: The First Mobile Phone Author

The first author to write and distribute novels via the mobile phone platform was an author named Yoshi who began this cutting-edge work in Japan in 2000. Yoshi identified a market of readers who would be interested in receiving books on their mobile phones. The main focus of these books was the delivery method which was considered a novel new approach for bringing books to people who wouldn’t otherwise have read them. The idea was that people who wouldn’t carry around a book might be happy to read a novel on their phones. Yoshi authored five books including a highly popular novel called Deep Love that went on to (more…)

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

I don't why I love this, but I do: This CNET Asia blog post features a building with a huge seven-story display that looks like an enormous mobile phone sitting in a giant hand.

Hector Garcia of Kirainet shot this pic of the Bic Camera building in Tokyo. If you look closely (and know Japanese), you might notice that the buttons actually explain what is on the corresponding numbered floor of the building. That's neat. Makes typical LCD building directories look sooo lame.




[via CNET Asia]

In what seems to be a stream of beta software builds flowing out of Waterloo, OS 4.7.0.141 has made its way into the hands of tech-loving BlackBerry Storm users.  According to Crackberry's forums, some say that the build offers improvements on the speed front, but several have experienced lockups with their devices.  Comments from one early adopter seemed to be positive:

Just downloaded new .141 OS.  Easy download.  No problems.  I haven't discovered any major differences. Everything is fast and smooth.

To me, this is part of a bigger question (for those Storm users in the US): when is Verizon going to get on the ball and release something newer than OS 4.7.0.75?  I realize that testing takes time, but we haven't seen an update since December of last year.  As with any beta software build, install at your own risk.  If you're not comfortable with the idea of installing a new operating system on your device, I would recommend holding out for more feedback or waiting for the next official software release.  Detailed installation instructions can be found here.

Source: Crackberry

Another Sony Ericsson clamshell is making its way to AT&T, and courtesy of the folks at the FCC, we have a sneak peek of what it's going to look like.  Music fans, this device may be for you, as it offers MP3-esque buttons on the outside, with stereo Bluetooth, and Walkman Player 3.0.  The full list of specifications is below:

• Quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA 850 and 1900
• 2.2-inch 240×320 pixel TFT internal display
• 1.1-inch 128×36 pixels external OLED display
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Walkman Player 3.0
• SenseMe, TrackID, Shake control and Gesture control
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• 100MB internal memory
• Memory Stick M2 support
• Changeable covers
• 93.5 x 50 x 14 mm, 98 grams

Additionally, FCC documents indicate terms like "MediaNet" and "AT&T Music Store," lending proof to the destination of the device.  It may not be for die-hard users, but this device is worth a look by those interested in a solid mid-range phone.  Check below for more pictures!







Source: BGR