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pda

LG's phone concept, complete with alien powers

Everyone seems to be jumping into touchscreens after the huge success of the iPhone, as seen in the HTC Touch and Nokia's Series60 touchscreen version. And now it seems that LG's in on it too.

The picture here shows a concept design of the LG Touch, a mobile phone and PDA with an equally cool docking station. Like the Prada phone from the same company, this concept handset has no noticeable protrusions, which makes it look like a small monolith. It has a secondary LCD along its top edge that displays essential information like new message alerts. The … Read more

Living up to the 'Ultimate' smartphone's name

i-Mate is not the most famous of brands when we talk about handhelds, but the Dubai-based company created quite a buzz a few months back when it introduced the Ultimate series of PDA-phones. A name like that needs to be backed up, which i-Mate did with some impressive specs for its announced 8150 and 6150 devices.

Fast-forward to today, however, and we have yet to see those smartphones on the market. And we all know that a few months in this industry is a lifetime--specs and features can get old fast. But i-Mate has introduced two more in the series … Read more

Gizmo all-in-one IM and calling service now serving BlackBerry

BlackBerry users are getting a little more love these days. It hasn't been long since Opera Mini 4 Beta became compatible with the BlackBerry platform. Now The Gizmo Project, a free, all-in-one IM and VoIP client mash-up originally built for the desktop, has opened its doors to BlackBerrys too.

Here's what's in it for Gizmo Project Mobile Beta users--IMing other Gizmo, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and Google Talk users from your phone, plus free calls to fellow Gizmos.… Read more

MediaCell Video Converter: First Look

Most mobile users like their converted videos like they like their phones: light, fast, and easy to get.

MediaCell Video Converter is a sweet app that achieves the former and shines with the latter. The program's ease at converting from a range of file types to your specific cell phone or PDA helped the program become the single most downloaded video product at CNET Download.com.

Check out MediaCell Video Converter in the video below, and don't forget to watch other informative First Look videos on a slew of users' favorite apps.

Infantry to lead the way with a new PDA

A collaboration between military R&D and industrial designers is bringing state-of-the-art PDA technology to Joe Snuffy out on the battlefield.

The Soldier Flex PDA (SFPDA) introduced by Inhand Electronics features flexible display technology with input from industrial design firm Artisent, display technology firm E-Ink and the U.S. Army Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University.

The PDA offers InHand's PXA270-based Fingertip4 CPU board, along with Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth and keypad interfaces all in a "ruggedized" glass-free package that weighs less than a pound. Best of all, the unique low-power characteristics of electronic paper displays … Read more

Mobile security saves you from yourself

A cheesy, old security riddle goes like this: how do you protect your bagels? Put lox (locks) on them. Ha, ha. Ha. I can see you rolling your eyes, and I understand. Smack-you-over-the-head Brooklyn humor isn't for everyone. Yet when the nitty gets gritty, this easy-as-smoked-salmon-pie security technique must not be as obvious for mobile phone users as it should be, because although mobile attacks have been steadily rising, users have been more interested in games, ringtones, and customization apps for their PDAs than in protecting mobile data. (See the related CNET News.com article.)

Last December, I put together a little something with tips on how to secure your wireless mobile device. I've updated that below, because it never hurts to rediscover some good security "lox."… Read more

PDA built to take the beating it deserves

Does anyone remember the PDA? You know, that thing people used to carry around before BlackBerries, Treos and most mobile phones made since 2003? A few of them may be tucked away in a Members Only jacket somewhere in the closet (buried, we hope).

If any of them are still in use, they may be easy targets for schoolyard bullies like the iPhone. Perhaps that's why one of the surviving models, the "Recon 200X" from Tripod Data Systems, comes with its own body armor--to avoid serious injury when getting beaten up by the bigger kids. Although specs … Read more

Fujitsu's missing-link laptop

Where does a laptop end and a handheld computer--or even a really, really smart phone--begin? We have no idea, and we're not sure it really matters. But for those who care, Fujitsu is doing its best to blur the lines.

The "U series" addition to its "LifeBook" line of laptops features ultra-portable machines that are barely an inch thick and weigh less than 1.3 pounds. But you wouldn't necessarily know it by the specs: an 800MHz Intel chip, 20GB hard drive, 512 of memory and a built-in fingerprint reader. All of which beats … Read more

More things to play with on your BlackBerry

Good news for all you BlackBerry users out there, as Gameloft announced today it will be bringing its mobile games to everybody's favorite thumb-straining devices. The games will cost about $7 a piece, and covers a range of categories from King Kong to golf.

The New York Times said this is the latest move in the BlackBerry line becoming more mainstream. With the release of the mainstream-friendly BlackBerry Pearl and the increased graphical prowess of devices like the BlackBerry 8800, mobile games seem like a natural step. But with users already willing to pay hotels to lock up their devices, … Read more