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October 17, 2006, 12:40 PM PDTAnother CNET blog to crave
Posted by: Lindsey Turrentine
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October 12, 2006, 4:00 PM PDTSimpleCenter: iTunes for the rest of us?
Posted by: John P. Falcone
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SimpleCenter is a Windows software package that works with a variety of devices, including the Sony PSP, the Nokia N80 and N93 smart phones, and most USB mass storage and Plays For Sure devices. In addition to being able to sync your media to those devices, SimpleCenter can also transcode files to compatible formats (particularly useful for getting video files onto the PSP and the iPod, for instance). The software can also act as a UPnP server and stream media to other devices on your home network (it's compliant with version 1.5 of the working draft DLNA standard). There's an option to access and share your photos and movies online via the Web.
For those keeping score, quite a few of those features are not available on iTunes and Windows Media Player. There's a catch, of course: most of the good stuff is available only if you pay $30 to upgrade to SimpleCenter Premium. But Universal Electronics offers the Premium version as a free 30-day trial, and the basic media management and playback functions remain enabled even if you choose not to upgrade. In other words, if any of those features pique your interest, you should download SimpleCenter and kick in the tires to see if it's the right media manager for you.
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October 12, 2006, 10:08 AM PDTPalm announces low-cost Treo 680
Posted by: Bonnie Cha
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Design: The Treo 680 will be available in four different colors: graphite, copper, arctic, and crimson. Now, while I certainly appreciate the variety, what's with the fire-engine red and bright orange? If part of the purpose is to attract more women, I'm not sure the "I can see you from a mile away" colors are going to do it. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The device measures 4.4 by 2.2 by 0.8 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces; the antenna is also integrated into the device, so no stubby antenna. The screen displays 65,000 colors at a 320x320-pixel resoution.
Phone: It's a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) phone. New phone app with a revamped user interface (five-tab view), active call thumbnails, integrated contacts, and simplified favorites. Also supports the ignore with text feature (one of my favorites) of the Treo 700 series, conference calling, and a speakerphone.
E-mail: Preloaded with VersaMail 3.5; now called Email on launcher page. Exchange ActiveSync now includes contact synchronization. Improved smart addressing, so it will remember recently used e-mail addresses. AutoSync for scheduling synchronization with e-mail, calendar, and contacts. Also comes with Documents To Go 8 for viewing and editing Word and Excel, and a PowerPoint and PDF viewer.
Multimedia: VGA camera with video-recording capabilities (yeah, you read right--lowly VGA; see my rant below). You can now add music to slide shows and save pictures as contacts. Includes Pocket Tunes for MP3 playback and streaming media (audio and video) without the need for third-party apps.
Wireless options: Bluetooth 1.2 and infrared. And no surprise here: no integrated Wi-Fi and it won't even support Palm's Wi-Fi card.
Other nuggets: Runs Palm OS 5.4.9 and has 64MB of SDRAM and 64MB of user-accessible memory. SD expansion slot accepts up to 2GB cards. Rated battery life: 4 hours of talk time, up to 300 hours of standby time.
Our take: OK, so those are the cold, hard facts; now, here's what we think. It's really hard to say how much of a value the Treo 680 is without knowing the exact price point of the device. As we mentioned earlier, Colligan said it will be competitively priced with other smart phones in its class, and most estimates have it going for around $199, much like the RIM BlackBerry Pearl and the Motorola Q. That said, the VGA camera is a complete disappointment. Both the Q and the Pearl have 1.3-megapixel cameras; hell, even most camera phones have that now, so why such a lowly camera for the 680? And please don't even get me started on the lack of Wi-Fi, let alone 3G support. That said, the tweaks to the phone and e-mail apps seem promising, and we always appreciate the intuitive nature of the Palm OS. It's also good to see the Treo is catching on to the skinny-phone craze.
So, while we think the Treo 680 is definitely a step in the right direction for the company, Palm is really going to have to step up to the plate to compete with latest crop of Nokia, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry devices. We'll hold off final judgment until we get our hands on the actual product, but in the meantime, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the device and the future of Palm. TalkBack below.
Also, check our for our First Look video of the Treo 680 and photo gallery.
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October 09, 2006, 3:54 PM PDTExposed: Crossbow, next-gen Windows Mobile OS
Posted by: Bonnie Cha Want a glimpse at what the next crop of Windows Mobile devices might look like (well, the operating system, anyway)? Then peep these leaked screenshots of the next-generation Windows Mobile OS (code-named Crossbow) from MSMobile.com. The images appear to be screen grabs of the Pocket PC Phone home screen (remember, Windows Mobile offers three variants of the OS--Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, and Smartphone) and features a more polished look and hints of Windows Vista. It will also have "strong links with Office 2007 and Exchange 12" for push e-mail and instant-messaging capabilities. Crossbow is expected to be released to manufacturers in Q4 2006 and for mass consumption in the first half of 2007. However, even before Crossbow's release, Microsoft's already teasing us with its successor, Photon, which is due some time in Q1/Q2 2008.
Other sources: Engadget Mobile, Gizmodo
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October 09, 2006, 9:08 AM PDTCNET UK reviews Palm Treo 750v; U.S. announcement on October 12?
Posted by: Bonnie Cha
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October 06, 2006, 3:20 PM PDTIn: BlackBerry 8800; Out: BlackBerry Pearl
Posted by: Bonnie Cha
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Sources: Engadget Mobile, BlackBerry Cool
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September 28, 2006, 1:22 PM PDTPalm to make announcement on October 12
Posted by: Bonnie Cha
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September 27, 2006, 1:44 PM PDTSamsung SGH-T719 with BlackBerry Connect now available at T-Mobile
Posted by: Bonnie Cha
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September 26, 2006, 2:42 PM PDTNokia revamps its N series
Posted by: Bonnie Cha While some cell phone manufacturers are banking on sleek, sexy designs to sell their products, it seems Nokia is putting more of the focus back on the features a mobile has to offer, and the company's latest additions are proof of that fact. Today, Nokia introduced two new models to its N series of "multimedia computers" and also gave the current lineup some nice upgrades. Here's the rundown, and check back tomorrow for our updated N-series line show.
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Nokia N95: This Symbian smart phone is a doozy. Sporting an innovative two-way slider design, the N95 has a 5-megapixel camera, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), HSPDA, 150MB of internal memory, and a Micro SD slot. The design allows you to switch between different modes; you can slide the dial pad down to make calls or slide the dedicated media keys out in the opposite directions, automatically converting the 2.6-inch QVGA screen to landscape mode. The mobile also comes with a Maps app that contains maps for more than 100 countries. The N95 is expected to start shipping in Q1 2007 for around--yikes--$700 for an unlocked version.
Nokia N75: Nokia has dubbed the N75 the "smallest multimedia computer," but that doesn't mean the phone is short on features. The quad-band flip phone has a built-in music player, an FM radio and 3D stereo speakers, a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, and 40GB of internal memory in addition to a Micro SD slot that accepts up to 2GB cards. The N75 is expected to be available in the United States in Q4 2006. No word yet on pricing or carrier announcements.
Nokia N70, Nokia N73, Nokia N91: The company is relaunching "Music Editions" of these three cell phones with a new black design, dedicated music controls, and new software for easy syncing and music management. The Nokia N91 also has an 8GB hard drive!
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September 22, 2006, 10:39 AM PDTFree Treo 750v and new, low-cost Treo may be on the way
Posted by: Bonnie Cha
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More resources: TreoCentral, Gizmodo, Uberphone
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