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Motion detecting SIMSense SIM card opens new world of possibilities February 18, 2009

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File this one away in the “man, I should’ve thought of that” category. Here at Mobile World Congress, Oberthur Technologies is making a name for itself by introducing the planet’s first motion detecting and handset-independent SIM card. SIMSense, as it’s so eloquently named, could open up a whole new world of interaction with phones that don’t come with any sort of accelerometer built in. For instance, a user could simply shake their cellphone upon receiving a second call in order to send out a pre-written SMS that explains the situation. Or they could navigate phone menus by simply moving or tapping. Or, better still, they could program their handset to dial an emergency contact if it detected a sudden fall while close to the person’s body. There’s been no indication of anyone grabbing this thing and running with it, but we can’t imagine this not making it out to the commercial realm.



Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXXII: HKC Touch clone sports Android looks at a WinMo price February 11, 2009

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The folks at “HKC” are back on the scene with the Imobile V413 handset. This Touch-esque KIRF boasts a dual WinMo 6.1 / Android OS — and we’re not entirely sure what this means. Other HKC phones have claimed compatibility with both operating systems, and we must admit that the screenshot does look pretty legit. Compared to the for real Touch, this thing appears to have some pretty OK specs, including: a 2.8-inch touchscreen, GPS, WiFi, a 2 megapixel camera and support for audio and video playback. Well played, Imobile. Your move, HTC. available for $410, or in lots of 50 for $398 each.



Nokia’s E63 NAM now on sale at Chicago flagship store February 9, 2009

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So when Nokia said “in the coming weeks” at CES, we definitely expected the North American E63 to be available in the US before now. But hey, if you’ve hung in there this long, there’s nothing sweeter than snagging a device you’ve been longing after for longer than originally anticipated. According to Symbian-Guru, the Chicago flagship location has received stock of the blue model, while the red flavor should be arriving at any moment; there’s been no direct word on stock at the New York location, but we can’t imagine the Nokia mother-ship leaving those in the Big Apple hanging. In case you’ve forgotten, $279.99 buys you a QWERTY-packin’ S60 handset, though you should be absolutely sure you’re okay without HSDPA.

  • Virgin Mobile launches Kyocera X-tc: inexpensive qwerty for all


Helio Ocean 2 Review February 3, 2009

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The original Helio Ocean burst onto the scene nearly two years ago, impressing with its dual slide design, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS and well-integrated messaging app challenging phones on both sides of the feature / smart phone line. 2009 finds the Ocean 2 once again topping the Helio line, but now facing even stronger competition. Luckily, it’s offering a lot more than an exclusive MySpace app to lure in users this time, with 2GB of internal storage, touch controls and a slew of software tweaks. Now that we’ve spent a few days comparing it to its predecessor, check after the break for some of the the highs and lows of this new handset.


Sidekick LX 2009 running Wind… er, NetBSD? February 2, 2009

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If Danger’s going to switch up its Hiptop platform strategy in the era of Microsoft ownership, you think that it might be to… oh, we don’t know, something even remotely Microsoft-related. Granted, shoehorning Windows mobile 6.1 onto a Sidekick LX sounds like a match made in hell, but at the very least, they could start with a Windows CE base and attach a bunch of Danger-specific stuff with wood glue until the end result looked familiar to users. Alas, Hiptop3 is reporting its own sources in combination with some telling open job positions and notes from Danger employees to suggest that the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009 — possibly to be known as the Sidekick Blade — will actually feature an entirely new kernel based on NetBSD. Our only guess is that this fancy little project started well before the acquisition completed, and in the interest of getting a thoroughly modern, 3G- and GPS-equipped Sidekick into the market as quickly as possible, maybe Redmond begrudgingly greenlighted the remainder of the project. Good on you, Microsoft.


KDDI au announces Spring 2009 collection February 2, 2009

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Japan’s KDDI au wows with the timely delivery of one of its signature seasonal line changes. Spring 2009 looks to be off to a stunning start with OLED displays, 8-plus megapixel cameras, one-seg TV, 3D display, and just about every wireless connectivity option we can dream up. As per, these are all candybar-style sets with the notable exception of the sliding Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot S001 (black phone above) and the two-way Hitachi H001 (purple phone) above. We’ve created a gallery for each so hit the read link for the complete rundown.


Boost Mobile pulling the plug on CDMA promotion January 31, 2009

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The writing was probably on the wall, but no one’s paying close enough attention to what Boost Mobile’s doing to even notice. phonescoop has it that the company famous for pushing its services with giant sized humans uttering one liners such as “yo” and “where u at?” is getting set to slowly (but surely) phase CDMA out of its life. According to company spokesperson Tatum Hawkins: “Boost mobile will still operate, support and service its CDMA-related products, but it will no longer promote them. If customers wish to sign up for CDMA-based services, they may still do so. However, Boost will no longer create new CDMA products and/or services, nor will it add new CDMA phones to its roster of devices.” From here, the firm hopes to focus on “building up the strength of its iDEN-based services and devices,” so from us to you — good luck with that Boost Mobile.


Zumba Phone: the Steorn Orbo of cellphones? January 31, 2009

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Ready for this? The BBC is reporting on a “top-secret phone” developed by a 40-person strong ejector-seat technology company — IA Technology — from Hereford England. The Beeb calls it, “the world’s first fully accurate voice recognition system for mobile phones.” A bold claim (to say the least) from seemingly nowhere. The report starts with a dramatic lead-in, “It’s a secret world, much of which we can’t film,” before introducing us to the Zumba phone. A phone so secret that the BBC can’t even show us how it works. They do manage to demonstrate how it’s worn. A retro slug-on-the-ear type earpiece is removed from a thin slab sporting a display and circular dialer reminiscent of Bang & Olufsen fashionphones. The device relies upon a “100% secure” connection to an “Internet portal” (apparently called Zumba Lumba) that holds all your contacts. If the phone is lost or stolen “it is instantly useless to anyone else.” A lot of hype to be sure, especially with plans to deliver the Zumba to shops before Christmas. Hit the read link for the video and let us know what you think.


So close, yet so far: Kogan Agora delayed indefinitely January 17, 2009

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Oh, Kogan — we were so, so hopeful that you weren’t peddling vaporware, and the latest indications seemed to suggest that the Agora and Agora Pro were very much real devices. We wanted to root for the little guy, get another android handset out into the unlocked market, review it, and love it to death. Unfortunately, scrappy Australian entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan has decided to delay the launch of his independently-designed phones indefinitely citing concerns over compatibility with future Android apps — concerns that were likely raised in a hush-hush meeting he’d recently scored with Google. One issue, it seems, is that the Agora’s screen resolution won’t likely play nice with Android apps going forward; that doesn’t seem quite right since the form factor is totally standard, but who really knows? The dude’s had working prototypes on video, so we can’t totally write it off just yet.


Boost launching $50 unlimited calling / texting plan January 16, 2009

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Hot on the heels of MetroPCS and Leap Wireless’ latest moves to pull in more customers on unlimited plans comes this: yet another unlimited plan, this one from Boost Mobile. Starting on January 22nd, mobile users looking for predictability on their bills can choose a $50 per month plan that allows for unlimited calls and texts. The only glaring omission is data allowance, so those fond of checking eHarmony alerts on the go won’t find much to love here. Not that you’d even want to surf for long on Boost’s iDEN network, anyway.