Sony’s CMT-U1BT Bluetooth bookshelf audio system
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio The FCC just gave us the word on Sony’s upcoming CMT-U1BT bookshelf audio system. The fairly simple unit can give a bit of amplification to your Bluetooth audio-capable phone or other such device, along with the usual FM/AM, ATRAC/MP3 CD, and CD playback. The player also includes a USB plug for playing sounds off of portable devices in such a manner. Unfortunately, the device will be dropping in September for a rather hefty $463-ish pricetag, and a release in the States is unlikely.[Via ATRACLife]Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Another blurry Treo “Hollywood” shot, plus specs?
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Wireless Palm’s sieve-like reputation for keeping a lid on unreleased devices continues to the current round of Treos in the pipeline, and we’re happy to feed the fire today with possible specs of the upcoming “Hollywood” accompanied by the obligatory hastily-snapped shot (blurred here to protect our valiant tipster). Though we still don’t fully understand the relationship between this bad boy and Cingular’s upcoming “Nitro” and “Lennon,” it’s said that we’re looking at an antenna-less GSM Treo rocking Windows Mobile 5, 128MB of internal storage, and a 412MHz XScale core, all gussied up in a package “considerably lighter” than its 700w stablemate. If our source is accurate, all this goodness will drop sometime this September — not a moment too soon for Treo fans on GSM carriers getting a little jealous of their CDMA brethren. Naturally, skepticism is in order here, but the engraving on the device lends some validity to the thought that it’s a prototype, and this all lines up pretty nicely with Cingular’s roadmap, no?[Thanks, anonymous tipster]Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Sony Ericsson’s P990i gains FCC approval
Filed under: Cellphones Announced way back in October, that Sony Ericsson P990i just got tagged with the FCC’s good housekeeping seal of approval. With that out of the way, we might actually see this tri-band GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 with UMTS (2100) handset with Symbian OS 9.1 / UIQ 3 Stateside sometime in Q1, Q2, Q3 after the 2100MHz spectrum comes off the auction block and into the greedy little hands of your fave (or not so fave) wireless provider. And with a 2.8-inch touchscreen, 802.11b WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 2 megapixel cam, media player, QWERTY keypad, and suite of corporate email connectivity options, well, we’re guessing that even with all the delays, you might still care. [Via Mobile Whack]Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Motorola’s 9mm MOTOFONE
Filed under: Cellphones Eat your heart out, Samsung. Well, not really, since Motorola’s new MOTOFONE is not only 2.1mm thicker than Samsung’s current record holding X820, but also comes up quite short in the features department. Instead the new MOTOFONE, coming in GSM and CDMA flavors at a svelte 0.35-inches, is targeting first time wireless users, prepaid buyers, and developing countries. Luckily, while Moto was weeding out those “nonessentials” like a camera, MP3 playback and a color screen (The MOTOFONE has instead an electrophoretic display with similarities to e-paper) they managed to lose that unsightly hump Samsung slapped onto the X820. Motorola’s thinnest phone does include some niceties beyond size, like local language voice prompts for ease of use, dust and sun resistance, and “extended” battery life. There’s no word on price or a release date, but we’re sure we can find enough change in our couch for whenever it does come around. Phone Scoop is calling this unit part of Motorola’s “Scalpel” platform, of which the rumored SCPL should be a bit more of an exciting member.[Via Phone Scoop; thanks everyone]Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Nokia N93 gets put through its paces
Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras With S60 3rd Edition, UMTS, a 3.2 megapixel camera with optical zoom, WiFi, miniSD slot, and QVGA display, Nokia’s N93 dual-pivot clamshell pretty much does it all — at the cost of some considerable bulk, that is. Mobile-review had a chance to spend some quality time with the beast, and if you can get past the portly 188 grams of mass in your pocket, they appear to come away liking the device for all that it does. As flimsy as it may look, we’re told the stalk connecting the display to the remainder of the phone is rock-solid: “Even if you shake the phone with all your strength, there is no way the halves will move towards each other.” Triband GSM plus UMTS 2100 make the N93 a tough sell in the States, but everyone else seeking out a worthy N90 replacement can expect Nokia’s latest superphone to drop this month for around €600 ($765).Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Samsung rolls out SCH-B450 gaming phone
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video DS and PSP be damned — if you happen to be in Korea, that is. Looking a bit like a D307 on performance-enhancing substances, Samsung’s new SCH-B450 is designed with entertainment in mind, and it’s packing enough tech to make the 2-megapixel camera possibly the least interesting feature of the device. Frankly, the spec sheet is a bit overwhelming: you get TV-out, A2DP, a motion sensor for Wii-like interaction, a game-friendly keypad, 3D acceleration, S-DMB reception, Immersion’s VibeTonz, and that clever (yet frighteningly fragile-looking) dual hinge design. The B450 is sadly destined for Samsung’s home market only, but we can always pick up a D307 and play make-believe, right?[Via Akihabara News]Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Motorola’s MOTORIZR Z3
Filed under: Cellphones What was once known as the Capri — the US Motorola team’s first 4LTR slider effort , not to be confused with the Korean team’s Z — can now be called the MOTORIZR, and the skinny is, of course, not entirely surprising. The 0.6-inch thick quad-band device features EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, QQVGA display, Bluetooth with A2DP, microSD, and a 2H launch time frame. Again, nothing to turn the head of anyone who’s heard about the device over and over online, but still a welcome addition to Moto’s staid lineup of RAZRs in an ever-increasing array of colors.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Cingular, Verizon slapped with class action suits
Filed under: CellphonesWireless carriers in this country are no strangers to all manner of legal action, so it comes as little surprise to us to hear that we have a couple fresh lawsuits brewing of the class-action variety. In Cingular’s case, it seems a group of former AT&T Wireless customers are worked up over the degredation of AT&T’s legacy network following the merger, forcing many of them to either deal with the inferior reception, buy so-called “orange” phones and get on Cingular’s network proper — often incurring a transfer fee in addition to the cost of the phone, or leave Cingular entirely and pay the early-termination fee of $175. Verizon meanwhile is taking heat for covertly slapping some of its customers with their roadside assistance option starting in January 2004 at $2 / month, then later refusing refunds when folks got wise to the charge. We dream of one day achieving world peace between human- and carrier-kind — but in the meantime, good luck sticking it to the Man, folks.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Ask Engadget: Moto Q tips and tricks?
Filed under: Ask Engadget, Cellphones, HandheldsYou’ve got questions, and well, the rest of you have answers. That’s right, it’s time for Ask Engadget. You hit us up at ask at engadget dawt com with the questions you’d like your Engadget-reading peers to take on, and we’ll let them sort it out in our comments. Last time Eric was looking for a way to stay in touch. Now Joey wants a bit of Q help:I’ve had the Q since last Friday and am having some minor email (Gmail, actually) issues. I was wondering if you could post an article for Q owners to submit tips, tricks, work-arounds, etc.We know more than a few of you have picked up that oh-so-skinny WM5 handset, any tips for our man Eric? We’re also betting there are some potential buyers on the fences who would love to hear of any hidden potential the Q might have in store.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Nokia releases N73 and N93 “multimedia computers”
Filed under: Cellphones Even if you’re a die-hard Palm or Windows Mobile fan, it’s hard to deny the appeal of Nokia’s N-series lineup of S60-powered “multimedia computers,” whose connectivity and imaging options are some of the best you can find on a smartphone today. As promised, the company has just officially released both the N73 (pictured, bottom) and N93 (pictured, top) handsets that we’ve been following for some time, and although you probably won’t be able to pick them up through traditional channels, we know that they’ll definitely be available at your local Nokia retail outlet. As a quick refresher, both of the phones (we know, we know, we’re not supposed to call them phones) are highlighted by 3.2 megapixel, Zeiss lens-equipped cameras, with the N93 throwing in a 3x optical zoom and support for 30fps VGA video. Both models also feature high-res 2.4-inch displays, Bluetooth radios, a miniSD slot for image capture or rocking tunes, and quad-band GSM plus 3G UMTS capability. On top of all these attractive features, the N93 also gives you built-in WiFi with UPnP functionality, video out for replaying your precious memories on a big screen, and what sounds like better-than-average in-camera editing. We’re still gonna stick with our current smartphones for now, but these models are so hot that we’re seriously reconsidering our snobby insistence on rocking those handy QWERTY thumboards at all times.Read- N73Read- N93[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
