mobile

While a press launch in Singapore this week was for the KS20 smartphone pictured here, an LG representative told us that the Korean company will be rolling out a new smartphone with an updated operating system expected at the end of this year or early 2009. Our best bet is that it will be running on the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, though Windows Mobile 7 might be possible by then as well.

Meanwhile, the KS20--LG's first GSM-based Windows Mobile 6 smartphone--is one of the most compact and slimmest in its category. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to … Read more

Intel will roll out its first wave of mainstream 45-nanometer "Montevina" Centrino 2 mobile processors by June then follow this up in September with additional chips including the first quad-core mobile processor.

Montevina--which Intel recently branded Centrino 2--will offer the option of integrated Wi-Fi and WiMax wireless technologies. The platform will also have a new Cantiga chipset with better integrated graphics, among other features.

Though some Montevina processor specifics are out there already, scheduling and other details have now been confirmed by sources close to Intel. In short, schedules posted on the site Vr-Zone, among other sites, … Read more

In an announcement that will surely test the patience of Zune fans, European newspaper GNT has quoted Microsoft France's Francois Ruault as saying the third generation of the Zune MP3 player will likely have a worldwide release during the holiday season of 2009. While folks in the European Union are probably happy to hear they'll be getting the Zune at all, the rest of us have just glimpsed a long wait for a Zune 3 hardware refresh.

The article goes on to hint that Microsoft's Zune Marketplace digital music download service will eventually be rolled into the … Read more

Virgin Mobile Canada knows how frustrated people can get with the lack of personalized service these days. Faster than Eliot Spitzer could say, "Um, oops," the company came out with a print ad that features the newly former New York governor, aka Client #9, musing as follows under a thought bubble: "I'm tired of being treated like a number..."

"At Virgin Mobile," the ad goes on to say, "you're more than just a number. When you call us we'll treat you like a person, not a client. Whether you're #… Read more

Here's the problem with most "travel" mice: power. If they're not plugged into a USB port, they need batteries--which inevitably die at the worst possible time. Sure, there are rechargeable rodents, but then you need to remember the charging dock and/or cord. And let's not forget: A mobile mouse is one more thing taking up space in your bag, one more thing you run the risk of losing.

Enter the ingenious MoGo Mouse BT, which operates wirelessly via Bluetooth and docks/recharges inside your notebook's PC Card slot. How smart is that! Newegg.com has the MoGo Mouse BT for $29.99, … Read more

Only yesterday we were complaining that the Palm Centro didn't have enough oomph for our liking when--whaddaya know?--the postman kindly delivered Garmin's Mobile 10, a memory card and sat-nav receiver combo that converts a variety of smartphones, including the Centro, into satellite navigation devices.

You simply stick the card--in microSD, miniSD, and SD formats, all included--into your smartphone, and the sat-nav software automatically starts to install itself. Once installed, you're ready to go and can input full addresses or just a zip code. The receiver automatically pairs with your phone via Bluetooth when you launch the … Read more

Though they initially seemed cool to the idea, telecom gear makers in Asia are indeed interested in discussing a partnership with Motorola's handset division, according to a Mergermarket.com report cited Wednesday by Reuters.

The Motorola handset unit's steady loss of market share has generated plenty of anxiety among shareholders and plenty of fallout, including intervention by activist investor Carl Icahn; the resignation of CEO Ed Zander and phone division chief Stu Reed; and on-again/off-again declarations that Motorola is considering a spin-off of its handset business. The new report by Mergermarket.com, a mergers-and-acquisitions specialist owned by … Read more

SAN DIEGO--Steve Jobs said people "don't read anymore."

Karl McGoldrick hopes the visionary Apple CEO is actually wrong for once.

That's because McGoldrick is the CEO of Netherlands-based Polymer Vision, the only company that right now is working on making e-books in a form that's actually close to traditional books--ones that are mobile, bendable, and, above all, readable.

But the device, called Readius, is not just an e-book reader--it receives e-mail, text messages, and RSS feeds, makes phone calls, and keeps calendar and contact information--in addition to downloading books and newspapers wirelessly.

It caused quite … Read more

Sure, the iPhone and all those whiz-bang Nokia crowd-pleasers have users in their thrall, but that doesn't mean you should feel bad with the something else you've got. While searching for cool software for a Palm Treo 650, I discovered a productivity oldie that has yet to crumble into the dust of antiquity.

For Palm, and Windows Mobile 5 and 2003, BugMe Notepad is a handy, feature-rich note-taking app that comes with a companion for annotating screenshots pretty much how you like. For some, that means typing text in various colors. For others, importing a photo and scrawling … Read more