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| January, 2007 | Home| About us| Services| Contact | |
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Note from Jason Flick The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007 has come and gone and like previous years, some of the best coverage was achieved by bloggers and groups of bloggers like www.engadget.com. There were a plethora of new gadgets that came out but the biggest news item at CES is very relevant to this handheld business newsletter. That is the Apple Inc. launched Iphone (yes-they changed their name from Apple Computers). As always with Apple they have come late and done things differently than everyone else. It has a unique type of touch screen and of course, looks very cool. The most interesting aspect is that they’ve added a new OS to the handheld world. This device is running Mac OS/X, but for now it is a completely locked-down device meaning that adding additional applications will be challenging. However, until April or June when we can get our hands on one, there is a chance this could all change. See this week’s articles for more.
Cheers, Jason Flick, |
This email device is thin (much thinner than BlackBerries or Treos), has a
gorgeous and bright screen, and a comfortable and responsive
keyboard. The material quality is much higher than I have seen in similar types
of email devices, and the back is magnesium, so it's both very durable and gives a solid, professional feel.
It comes available with many email options for both your personal
email and secure push email options for your company messaging such as
BlackBerry Connect, GoodLink, ActiveSync, Intellisync, Visto and more.
Nokia slims down with 6300 candybar
Of all the major cell phone makers of the world, the only one that hasn't really given this whole
"slim is in" mantra a whole lot of thought is, ironically, the world's largest
cell phone maker. Well that's about to change. Nokia has just announced one of
their skinniest phones to date, the SLVR-like 6300 candybar. This Series 40
handset comes equipped with a good smattering of features including a 2.0
megapixel camera, "brilliant" multimedia support, and an integrated Flash
player. You'll also get email via IMAP, POP3, and SMTP, as well as
connectivity via USB, Bluetooth.
Live from Macworld 2007: Steve Jobs keynote
It’s a bit lengthy and not out until June 2007, but Apple is finally in the Smartphone/pda/mp3 all in one game and they brought another OS to the market. Also some brilliant new interface technology. No keyboard, and no touch screen, it’s something like the current Ipod touch wheel but the whole screen.
Hitachi's W51H sports 800 x 400 display for KDDI
So that hot little batch of phones KDDI threw down for its CDMA-based au network in Japan this
week? Yeah, seems we might have gotten a little too wrapped up in that nifty
lookin' Media Skin device, seeing how we glossed right over this little gem: the
W51H clamshell from Hitachi offers up a staggering 800 x 480 display in its snow
white (or red or black) shell. We'd imagine this is the very same 2.9-inch
screen being demoed by Hitach just last month, trading some
extreme eye strain for a nearly desktop-class web browsing experience without
sacrificing battery juice.
Skype launches first mobile service
By Nancy Gohring
Skype launched its first mobile voice-over-IP service in collaboration with an operator, 3 Group, whose customers will soon be
the first to use it.
3 Group customers will be able to make free Skype
calls to other 3 Skype users and to PC-based Skype users around the world.
Customers must subscribe to one of 3's new monthly data plans to use the service.
3 has not yet revealed the pricing for the plans
but says they will include unlimited usage, subject to fair use limitations. For
mobile phone users who make lots of international calls, the offering could
deliver significant cost savings, depending on the cost of the data
subscription.
"It's now possible for the 136 million Skype users to break from their PCs and
use Skype wherever they are," said Niklas Zennstrom, chief executive officer of
Skype, speaking Thursday in London as part of the launch of 3's new mobile data
offering.
Gadgets in the gears
By Grant Buckler
So many employees are bringing their handheld devices to work that some companies are loosening the reins on their security policies. Enterprises explore the potential network risks, but some admit they may no longer have a choice.
There was a time when computers had their place, and the name of the company
that dominated the computer business through for its first few decades neatly
summed up what that place was. The initials IBM mean International Business
Machines, and that's just what computers were – business
machines.
No more. Now computers are in homes, schools, coat pockets – joined by an
assortment of other electronic devices. The office isn't the sole preserve of
information technology any more – and in the 21st. century, it is no longer even
the place where the latest technology innovations show up first.
Today, interesting new technology often debuts in the consumer market, and only
later – if at all – in the office. Consumers pick up machines loaded with the
latest hardware and software, download music and video, send instant messages
and carry on videoconferences with distant relatives.
Bsquare's Power Handheld
By Peter Rojas
While we're lusting after new smartphones with keyboards,
the Register reviews the Power Handheld, a new BlackBerry-like wireless handheld
from Bsquare with a slide-out keyboard and that has 128MB of RAM, a 400MHz
processor, a 640x480 LCD screen, and runs on a slick version of Windows CD that
mimics the look of Windows XP. No built-in Bluetooth or WiFi, but you can add
either (but not both) using the Power Handheld's SDIO expansion card slot, and
it does have GPRS (as well as GSM for making phone calls). So far this is only
available in Europe.
Asus revamps GPS-PDA offerings, kicks out A686/A696
By Darren Murph
With the overall PDA market slowly dwindling into oblivion, Asus is
attempting to keep the PDA kickin' for just a bit longer, and the company's
latest duo actually isn't half bad considering the GPS functions and relatively
slim enclosure. The A686/A696 units ditch the MyPal moniker from days past, and rather than adding that
bulky GPS antenna the side, Asus has bumped up the style
points by crafting a stainless steel frame with a non-protruding GPS antenna.
Apple's iPhone: Return of the Touch Screen?
By Janak Parekh
You know, I've been a Pocket PC fan for a long time. The large
touch screen, the touch user interaction model -- it's been a great ride ever
since I got my iPAQ 3650 with Pocket PC 2000. However, Microsoft's been moving
the Pocket PC model steadily over to the Smartphone model -- softkey UI, smaller
screens, less memory, more phone-oriented devices. And, honestly, I've actually
liked it a lot. The Treo 700w, my main device, is a decent unit for what it
does. But... but... in case you've been living under a rock, Apple introduced
the iPhone today, and as a touch-screen lover, this is interesting
stuff.
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Events |
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Gartner Wireless & Mobile Summit |
3GSM World Congress 2007 |
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Wireless Developer Forum |
Wireless Australia Summit 2007 |
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CTIA WIRELESS 2007 |
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