Cell phone accessories blog

Sony Ericsson dropped a load of accessories to go with its new W902, W595, and W302 announced yesterday. The new products range from stereo wireless speakers to wired noise-canceling headsets. We give you the details below--or check Sony Ericsson's Web site for more specs. The accessories won't be available in most markets until the end of this year.

MPS-100

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

The MPS-100 portable speakers are an update to Sony Ericsson's earlier MPS-60 and MPS-70 speakers. Though they use a wired connection to your Walkman handset, the MPS-100 speakers have an appealing, compact design. They weigh just 4.8 ounces and and feature a 3.5mm line in port.

MBS-200

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

The MBS-200 wireless portable speaker uses a Bluetooth stereo connection and offers an eye-catching circular design. Features include an OLED display and a 3.5mm audio jack. The compact MBS-200 comes with a carrying bag and weighs 8.9 ounces.

MBS-400

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

For a more powerful Bluetooth listening experience, the MBS-400 wireless portable speakers offer stereo sound. The ball-shaped speakers weigh 8.9 ounces and 8.2 ounces and feature a 3.5mm audio port.

HBH-IS800

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

The HBH-IS800 wireless stereo headphones come in silver and black. The earbuds are tiny and the behind-the-neck connector cord is unobtrusive. They use a Bluetooth connection and have a promised battery life of four hours music playback time.

The HPM-88 noise-canceling headphones use a wired connection. Features include a 3.5mm jack, noise-canceling technology, an oxygen-free copper cord, and a Sony Ericsson fast port connector.

HPM-66

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

The HPM-66 active stereo headphones feature a secure behind-the-ear fit. Features are similar to the HPM-88 headphones, including an inline remote for handling calls and controlling your Walkman phone's music player.

AT&T Navigator

(Credit: AT&T)

Today, AT&T announced that it's expanding its AT&T Navigator location-based service overseas, making it the first U.S. carrier to offer international navigation capabilities. Dubbed AT&T Navigator Global Edition, the service is available now and works in 20 countries, including North America, the U.S. Caribbean, and most countries in Western Europe. It will also work in six cities in China--Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin, and Qinhuangdao--all of which will host Beijing Summer Olympics events. (AT&T is an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team.)

Like the domestic version, AT&T Navigator Global Edition provides color maps, local search, and text- and voice-guided turn-by-turn driving directions. In addition, the audible prompts are available in English, Spanish, German, or Italian. AT&T Navigator Global Edition costs $19.98 per month, which includes domestic service, and works on a number of devices, including the AT&T Tilt, RIM BlackBerry 8800, RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310, RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8110, Samsung BlackJack II, and the Motorola Q9h. You can check out AT&T's Web site for more information.

One final note: Does anyone think this is another sign that GPS-equipped cell phones and smartphones will take over dedicated portable navigation devices?

HTC Touch for Sprint

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

The Windows Mobile 6.1 updates have been slow to roll out to current Windows Mobile smartphones, but looks like today is the lucky day for Sprint HTC Touch owners. Available for download from HTC's Web site, the software update doesn't just bring the latest mobile operating system. You also get upgraded to EV-DO Rev. A; advanced GPS with support for Sprint Navigation; the Opera Mobile Web browser; and a full onscreen QWERTY keyboard. Hey, not too shabby. And remember, be sure to back up all your data and files before you download that update, otherwise it all goes bye-bye.

A Windows Mobile 6.1 software update has also been released for the Sprint Mogul, which brings support for Sprint TV as well. This adds to the EV-DO Rev. A boost, advanced GPS capabilities, and Task Manager tool that were distributed in a previous software upgrade. The WM 6.1 update is available for download here.

(Sources: WMExperts via Boy Genius Report)

Samsung SCH-i760

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

In the famous words of Beyonce, "I can (up)/ Can I (up)/Let me upgrade you." Perhaps that will be the tune Samsung SCH-i760 owners will be singing today as Samsung released an official Windows Mobile 6.1 software upgrade for the Verizon Wireless smartphone. The software update is available for download through Samsung's Web site and has installers for both Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista users.

Hot or not?

At first, I thought California's new hands-free calling law was a great idea. Though it's debatable whether cell phones in the car can ever be safe, I took a lot of comfort in knowing that holding your phone to your ear while driving was now illegal. True, there's no guarantee that both hands will now be on the steering wheel, but I thought my chances of being run down by a yakking driver were just a bit smaller.

But, only a few days after the law went into effect I realized that it had one unfortunate consequence: a very rapid proliferation of Bluetooth dorks. Since headset-use is now required by law, the number of people wearing their headset when they're not in the car or on the phone has exploded. The sight of these people has always made me cringe, but now it appears they're here to stay. I'm know I'm not the only one who feels this way so I encourage my fellow Californians to remember this: please remove your headset when not in use. You're not a Borg drone; it doesn't make you look important or edgy, and it's not a fashion statement. If you need a place to stash it you can always buy the LG Decoy, but otherwise your pocket or purse should suffice.

Mobile browsing has come a long way and continues to gain speed and power as cell phone hardware and processing technologies mature. At the forefront of this evolution is Opera Software, whose most recent efforts bring us Opera Mobile 9.5 beta for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs. Watch the video to see what's new and improved in this free, brand-new release.

For more details, check out the full review.

Updated 7/17/08 at 11:16 am PST with additional pricing information.

It's time that Opera Mobile got its due. Long overshadowed by Opera Mini--the light, server-fed browser for Java phones--Opera Mobile is a robust browser built on Web standards (and written with C and C++) that's known for delivering a full Web experience to Windows Mobile and Symbian phones.

Yet even though Opera Mobile has made good as a much closer approximation of the desktop Internet experience, it traditionally hasn't received the same developmental attention as Opera Mini. With Opera Mobile 9.5 beta, released on Thursday as freeware, things begin to change.

In many ways, this beta version of Opera Mobile is a fusion of Opera's Desktop and Mini versions. It inherits certain tabbing, searching, linking, and saving capabilities from Opera Desktop 9.5, and Opera Mini's search and display settings.

What follows is a full hands-on review of Opera Mobile 9.5 beta (also see the video) that takes into account the program's newly redesigned interface, features, performance enhancements, Opera Dragonfly, issues, and what to expect from future beta builds, of which there will be several before the final release. We also won't leave out availability and price.

Interface

The redesigned interface focuses on a small strip of navigational icons at the base of the app and concealed context menus that appear where applicable when you tap and hold. For instance, opening the context menu when hovered over a link gives you options of opening the link in a new tab, copying the URL, or sending the link to friends. The main context menu can be accessed by tapping and holding the white space, whereas the inverted 'v' on the navigation pops up a third options menu.

The icon-based navigation bar is seamless and clean, though generic.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

This new design replaces actionable menu items and helps boost clarity while reducing clutter. If you don't see the menu option you're looking for, you know you've mis-tapped. Without the familiar desktop icons, Opera Mobile 9.5 beta replaces the Opera-branded character with a generic sleek and modern look. You decide if that's good.

New features

Only about two-thirds of the final features are present in this first 9.5 beta build (see the road map section below), but already surpasses version 8.65 in terms of the browsing experience--with one caveat.

This new beta version opens in the full-screen browsing mode by default, which lets users pick a starting point and zoom in for closer reading, and entire pages can now be saved for later. Like the 9.5 desktop version, there's in-text search with Find in Page and text highlighting; a Google search bar when you tap to enter a URL, and an address bar fitted with auto-complete that harnesses your browsing history by suggesting compatible sites as you begin typing.

In this case, not all that is newer is better. While Opera retains its support for tabbed browsing, it replaces the true tabbing experience of Opera Mobile 8.65--ironically defined as "windows"--with a reversion to separate browsing windows, ironically called "tabs."

In addition, the beta update appears to have lost some zoom granularity, though in a demonstration at Opera's California office, Sales Engineer Brian Purdy explained that zooming features differ by handset manufacturers.

Performance

Opera Mobile 9.5 beta ditches true tabs in favor of layered windows.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Driving all the front-end enhancements is a new proprietary core rendering engine, called Presto 2.1, which improves on the speed and rendering quality compared with Opera Mobile 8.65. While Opera doesn't yet have benchmarking numbers to share, I will say that the new version performed more smoothly than the old during testing and trounced Windows Mobile's Internet Explorer in performance. While Opera Mobile itself may have gotten speedier, the browser is still only as good as the phone's processor.

For developers: Opera Dragonfly

For developers, Opera has also included support for the open-source remote debugging tool nicknamed Opera Dragonfly. Using the computer's IP address and Opera browsers for the phone and desktop, this cross-platform software syncs the two to test against errors on the phone, not just in the editor or emulator.

Known issues

Beta builds aren't meant to be perfect and Opera Mobile 9.5 beta comes with its share of flaws and foibles. First, it's an English-only build with support for other languages coming later. Users will also notice right away that Flash hasn't been enabled, making this software version video-blind. Installing the application on a memory card may be rocky, so make sure you've got room for the 4.2MB requirement.

Links can be opened, copied, or sent three ways.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Fourth, you'll want to refresh pages after switching between viewing modes, for instance mobile and full screen views. Finally, problems with custom input methods specific to certain phone models will be buggy or broken.

Road map: What's next

As I mentioned, Opera's center of command plans several more updates to Opera Mobile 9.5 before the final release. Google Gears, Opera Link, and Opera Widgets are slated to join the app in subsequent waves of development. A version for Symbian phones is forecast for Opera's near future.

Availability and price

Starting Thursday, the touch screen version of Opera Mobile 9.5 beta will be available for free for Windows Pocket PC phones running Windows Mobile 5 or 6. A slightly different version of Opera Mobile 9.5 comes preloaded on the HTC Diamond. Opera Software has declined to comment on the pricing of Opera Mobile 9.5 going forward, but I've speculated elsewhere that there's a good chance the product could remain free. The stable version, Opera Mobile 8.65, costs $24.

On Thursday, Seattle-based mobile widgets maker Zumobi announced its graphics-rich application for BlackBerry. Originally developed for Windows Mobile phones, Zumobi's BlackBerry release marks the application's second platform appearance and hearkens a handful of other improvements.

As a widget organizer, Zumobi lets users add 16 "tiles" to the application's home screen. The number keys and pearl are used to navigate among the four quadrants, and then again among each remaining quadrant to arrive at the elected tile.

(Credit: Zumobi)

Each tile, created by partners, independent developers, or users online, serves an ad, ratings scale, forwarding link, and search mechanism in addition to the content. In addition to rolling out a BlackBerry version, Zumobi has also taken the opportunity to welcome Facebook and Twitter tiles to the gallery, along with a host of other news and sports tiles. Particular to BlackBerry is the preloaded bPlay themes store.

Better, but not best
In answer to an earlier critique, Zumobi for BlackBerry drastically improves on the "zoom" performance, erasing rendering issues and making access to a tile as quick as pressing two keys. However, loading the Twitter and Facebook apps in particular was slow during my tests, even with a zippy UMA Wi-Fi connection.

One other complaint has also remained--that despite leaving the beta build behind, the Zumobi's in-app gallery and options settings are still "coming soon." After so many updates and months of development, I'd almost rather see them added after they gain functionality than having them lay empty.

While the content and rendering speeds are on the uptick and while BlackBerry support is a great user service, these foibles leave Zumobi a product still stuck in adolescence.

Zumobi for Blackberry is available by typing get.zumobi.com into the mobile browser or by signing up for an account on Zumobi.com. At the time of launch, Zumobi supports 8100, 8300, and 8800 series BlackBerry phones.

With so much fairy dust in the air over Apple's day-early release of the App Store and iTunes 7.7 (for Windows and Mac), it's easy to get caught up in the excitement. And we are excited. Being the intrepid reviewers we are, we're taking the unofficial iPhone 2.0 firmware for a ride to test out some of these apps. Be forewarned that the firmware has not yet been Apple-approved for wide release and cannot be vouched for.

More than 500 applications are already clustered in the App Store, many of them tiny apps and widgets that have been custom-built to run natively on the upgraded iPhone firmware. Most of these early entrants are nearly identical to the iPhone-optimized versions previously released by publishers to work with the iPhone Classic.

Google's app is a prime example. It opens with a blinking search bar and with the keypad already engaged. Like the optimized Web app version, suggested matches are displayed as the search begins; this time they are listed below the search field. Below the search space is a shortcut bar for seeing the array of Google apps, including Gmail, Maps, Docs, and Reader. These icons are themselves quick links for launching the Web-optimized versions of Gmail and clan.

The app does save a fraction of time in bypassing Safari's initial loading of the iPhone-optimized page and works without a hitch.

Catch the most recent news about the iPhone 3G and App Store.

(Credit: Opera Software)

Roughly 150 mobile enthusiasts crowded into a Microsoft conference room on Monday night at the Mobile Monday meeting to discuss mobile analytics, the careful analysis of specific user data to drive big business decisions.

While Web companies have long been interested in kneading numbers, mobile business has its own angle--and its own turf to prove. Here are three reasons why mobile analytics matter.

1. Greater Internet demand
As mobile technology improves, it comes down to simple math that more people will access the Web from their smartphones more often. It's widely cited that in developing nations, more people use cell phones to get online than they do PCs. And when they do, suggests Opera's most recent report on the mobile Web, mobile surfers act just like the desk-bound, using their phones to search, socialize, and access news and entertainment.

Opera, Skyfire (beta), and iPhone's Safari browsers already give surfers the ability to view entire Web sites on their phones, then zoom in where desired. Optimized mobile layouts are still a viewing option, but no longer a necessity. The take-home message is this: As mobile surfers grow steadily in number, cell phone users will make up a larger slice of an ordinary Web site's total audience.

2. More money-making opportunities
Web businesses lean on analytics tools, like Google Analytics, to identify how visitors use their site. Based on the findings, which often point out areas of weakness and strength, companies are able to reposition their site targets to influence user behavior, for instance taking measures to induce repeat visits. In this way, jockeying around with the numbers can result in bigger bucks, especially when talk turns to mobile advertising.

Put simply, where people are, ads are. As the experience of the mobile Web increasingly mirrors the desktop, advertising will follow suit. In fact, it already has. Banner ads, link ads, and revenue sharing with search engines are three ways that cell phones are hooking into the Internet economy.

(Credit: AdMob)

There is a trend among the companies that have started early, said Jason Spero, vice president of marketing at AdMob, which demonstrated a beta version of its free mobile-analytics tool on Monday night. Ringtones and other entertainment content comprise the largest chunk of mobile advertising, Spero added, along with car ads, TV and movie promos, and ads for well-known consumer brands.

The total mobile-ad spend may not amount to much in the grand scheme. VentureBeat, a blog tracking venture capital, cites a "consensus that mobile-advertising market revenues are somewhere between $100 million and $200 million worldwide." Regardless, it is a sign of growth in an emerging and ever more closely watched market.

3. Rising competition
Distilled, an interest in mobile analytics is a test of the mobile industry slowly and more surely delivering on its promise to be the next paradigmatic information-processing medium. I need only to mention Friday's hotly anticipated release of the iPhone 3G and rumors of a 3G Android phone for T-Mobile in October as a proof of progress.

As an inevitable flood of new users will choose one device family, operator, or platform over another, companies will rely on analytics to edge the competition.

Who's keeping score?
The tight knot of engineers, marketers, and entrepreneurs gathered at Mobile Monday certainly validated the importance of analytics, but ownership over those business-changing numbers is much less clear. Opera Software is two months into releasing public reports of its users' browsing activity after substantially changing the methodology after the first month.

Nielsen Mobile is another scorekeeper that gleans data on consumer behavior, but it does not yet have intimate access to Internet traffic. AdMob takes a third approach, calculating advertising impressions and click-through rates to form a datascape.

A central collection, however, is still absent. Opera's Odland and AdMob's Spero agree that ComScore or Nielsen will have to pump up a robust mobile data-gathering service for the industry to really cash in on the numbers. When it does, expect even better hardware, software, and Webware to follow.