The shows are intended to promote bite-sized mobile entertainment, a focus for the company’s recent multimedia-friendly devices Satio and Aino.  Each fifteen minute show is broken down into five, 90-second segments available for mobile download, and each works as a standalone clip that can be viewed and forwarded.

The first shows have featured Marilyn Manson, The Veronicas, Face Invaders and Paloma Faith, and more media and citizen journalism is promised.  Whether users will be willing to use their data allowances to pay for video downloads remains to be seen; having checked out the YouTube content, would you be interested in accessing this on your cellphone?  Let us know in the comments.

HTC haven’t skimped on the connectivity, either.  The Touch Diamond has 7.2Mbps HSDPA and HSUPA for super-fast uploads and downloads.  That will be put to good use in the re-skinned Opera 9 browser, which HTC will be including in the smartphone’s ROM.  In a demonstration today, HTC execs showed the browser zooming and reflowing text with a simple tap, as well as manually controlling the zoom level with the touch-sensitive scroll wheel (that doubles as the D-pad).  The Touch Diamond also features an accelerometer, such as found in the iPhone, which can recognise which way up the handset is being held and orient the screen accordingly.

The company is calling the smartphone their “Usable Mobile Internet” device.  It also has a custom version of YouTube, which execs described as “the best mobile YouTube experience”; Apple aren’t going to like that.  Although hardware details are yet to be announced, in the demonstration the phone ran smoothly and with no slow-downs no matter whether playing media, browsing the internet or anything else. 

The handset will be launched in Europe and Asia in June, with the rest of the world later on in 2008.  No prices have been revealed.  Our sister-site PHONE Magazine will be bringing you more coverage from the HTC event – including hands-on video with the Touch Diamond itself – later on today, so keep reading!

Check out the full gallery of live HTC Touch Diamond images here

The W599 is controlled predominantly via a 2.4-inch QVGA 260k colour passive touchscreen, complete with extending stylus to take advantage of the handwriting recognition.  It also has directional controls encircling a scroll wheel for multiple navigation options.  Samsung have also added something they’re calling “handwritten instructions”, which seems to be a way of triggering shortcuts by drawing symbols onto the screen. 

There’s a 2-megapixel camera, MP3 and streaming media playback, Bluetooth, an FM radio with 20 presets and 34MB of onboard memory; a microSD slot is there to add to that when necessary.  Most surprisingly, perhaps, all that cellular radio cleverness is squeezed into something not actually all that thick.  The SCH-W599 is set for release in China, priced at 4,490 yuan ($650).

[via Unwired View]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Taking a photo of a CD, for instance, could pull up price comparisons from online stores (with the ability to buy direct from the handset), links to the artist’s back catalogue and even lyrics from featured songs.  Audio and video clips would also be available.  The software is being offered as a free download to owners of earlier “au” model cellphones; Bandai apparently funds the system via referral fees.

ER Search is similar to the idea of ‘augmented reality’, whereby real-world objects are tagged with real-time data on a mobile device.  Enkin, a recent entry in Google’s Android Developer Challenge promises just that, with GPS and motion data used for real-time object/building tracking.  However Enkin goes farther than ER Search, as it works in real-time rather than from snapshots.

[via mocoNews]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hypnosis is one thing, but the argument is about Nokia’s intended message.  The title is pretty easy to understand – after all, each of the individual voices come together to make the musical harmony – but the tagline is more vague.  If anything, the video suggests functionality for everyone – complete with the full mouth shape made up at the end, courtesy of a mirror on the floor - not the design of the handset.

Of course, Nokia’s eventual aim is to get people talking about the 6500, which it’s managed.  Vincent thinks the advert is creepy, whereas I’m quite impressed.  The UK cellphone market is notoriously difficult to conquer, so adverts that concentrate solely on functionality tend not to get the same response as dramatic, interesting ads. 

What do you think?  Bizarre or brilliant?  More likely to make you consider the 6500, or remember Nokia next time you’re looking for a new phone?  Let us know in the comments.

[via I Believe In Advertising] ]]> http://www.slashphone.com/nokia-harmony-advert-for-6500-prompts-mixed-reviews-14194/feed 0 http://www.slashphone.com/airis-t482-gps-smartphone-14192 http://www.slashphone.com/airis-t482-gps-smartphone-14192#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:23:53 +0000 Chris Davies http://www.slashphone.com/airis-t482-gps-smartphone-14192 French satnav lovers too impatient to wait for Garmin’s nuvifone will soon have a Windows Mobile alternative from Airis, when the company’s T482 GPS smartphone goes on sale.  While the device is a quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE device with Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi and a 3.2-inch QVGA touchscreen, the real draw is the SiRFStar III GPS receiver and included CoPilot Live navigation software.  It also has a 2-megapixel camera, microSD slot and FM tuner.

Powered by a 416MHz Marvell PXA270 processor and arriving with 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, the T482 measures 125 x 62 x 14mm and weighs in at 165g.  It’s coated in a non-slip matte rubber, and Airis are quoting up to 250hrs use as an unconnected PDA, 100hrs cellular standby or 4hrs talktime.  Pricing is set at €424 with French mapping or €478 for European mapping, but Airis will also supply the T482 with neither CoPilot Live nor maps for €399, though removing that advantage pits the handset against some worthy competition.

More worrying is the fact that hands-on reports are looking less than favourable.  A commenter at NaviGadget describes the T482 as “useless as [a] mobile phone”, criticising Airis’ choice of Windows Mobile 5 (rather than 6 or 6.1), the fact that the keys cannot be locked and a poorly designed connector for an external GPS aerial that, once opened, cannot be closed up again.  Most bizarrely, the car-kit that Airis supply apparently presses the buttons around the edge of the smartphone, triggering the camera or, in some circumstances, powering off the device altogether!

It’s hard to recommend the T482 after those concerns, but if you’re still interested it’ll be on-sale SIM-free from Airis’ site.

[via Engadget Mobile]

Candybar-loving fans of Samsung’s U900 Soul might find satisfaction in the U800, which resembles a non-sliding, solid-keyed version of that device.  Again having a brushed metal body, the U800 has a 3.2 megapixel camera, FM Radio, Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0, and is a quadband GSM handset with 3G.  While it lacks the touchscreen of the U900 Soul, the U800 will likely hit a lower price point. 

Finally, the L870 is a quadband GSM and UMTS smartphone running the Symbian S60 OS.  Feature wise it’s pretty middle-of-the-road, with a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and an FM radio.  Measuring 102 x 50 x 13.55mm, it seems intended to rival Nokia’s mid-range N-series handsets.

[via Unwired View]

TD-SCDMA is China’s own alternative 3G standard, which it created to avoid arguments over licencing fees for existing technologies.  It then went on to put pressure on carriers, supposedly, to support TD-SCDMA either alongside or instead of other CDMA alternatives.  The original intention was to have the 3G network up and running in time for the Beijing Olympics in August, but outside of the city users are expected to have to wait significant periods before they have high-speed cellular access.  Analysts initially estimated licencing to take place at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2009, but according to Dharmapalan that is looking increasingly unlikely.

China Mobile, who are operating the trial deployment, have issued 20,000 handsets and 5,000 data cards using TD-SCDMA to users in Beijing and seven other cities.  Motorola and Nokia are among the manufacturers ready to produce compatible hardware once the 3G carriers are selected.  The Chinese government are yet to comment on suggestions that the licencing will be further delayed.

“Response to our simple, inexpensive, $20 phone was phenomenal. The initial test purchase order with multiple purchase orders behind it is a big step in introducing Hop-on to Europe” Peter Michaels, president, Hop-on 

Hands-on’s phone is dualband (900/1800Hz) and based on a Texas Instruments chipset.  The company apparently received plenty of interest at CTIA earlier on this year, which led in part to the current deal.

There’s no suggestion as of yet where the Hop-on handset will be available, nor how much it will be priced at.

[via Pocket-lint]

Of course, the real reason we’re interested is the ability to not only have two SIM cards fitted but to access them at the same time (or, in the case of the W1000, registered to a CDMA account as well as have a GSM SIM in place), including being able to separately deactivate one or the other from the Windows Mobile interface.  That way you could keep your personal account active (just in case your pregnant wife is about to give birth) but avoid the office calling you by turning off your business account. 

Both versions are apparently available now, with 2-megapixel cameras, Bluetooth (with the A2DP wireless stereo profile) and the usual WM office suite. No WiFi or GPS, which HKC lose marks for, though there is a dedicated stock market hotkey.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via Unwired View]

Press Release:

The HKC Dual SIM Windows Mobile Series, W1000 & G1000

~ SIMply double your connectivity ~

April 10, 2008, Hong Kong – HKC, HKC Communication (Hong Kong) Limited., is proud to announce the launched of two pioneering models of dual SIM Card Windows Mobile Professional™ PDA phones with dual network (GSM + CDMA) or Dual Standby (GSM +GSM) capabilities.

The two members of the 1000 series, W1000 and G1000, both designed with a slim and stylist body are equipped with different double network capabilities.

The W1000 is equipped with one GSM and one CDMA SIM slot, making phone calls and data communication on different networks using one phone a possibility. The W1000 is a great communication tool for the frequent business flyer who travels to different countries with different network protocols. The W1000 makes calling simple without the hassle of changing SIM cards or misplacing SIM cards.

The G1000 on the other hand has two built-in GSM SIM slots, which allows voice and data communications between two different GSM networks concurrently. The user who needs to carry two phone numbers can simply insert the two GSM SIM cards into the G1000! There is no need to carry one extra phone in the pocket. This is ideal for frequent or seasoned travelers to maintain connectivity with his or her home country number and at the same time take advantage of the relatively cheap local charges by using an additional SIM card from the local mobile network.

The 1000 series was designed with both functionality and style in mind. The casing for both model are crafted in a cool dark titanium color with an easy to type keypad. Both models run on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, which gives seamless integration with thousands of third party software, making the user experience as personalized as possible. The Bluetooth™ feature is enabled, perfect for consumers on the move. To top off these qualities, its large 2.8” inch screen gives off crystal clear images making viewing multimedia on the go an enjoyable experience.

Other key features include:

• A two megapixel macro-enabled camera
• A micro SD memory card slot for adding up to 4GB storage space.
• WorldCard Mobile software to manage business cards

The HKC 1000 series is the first two members of the HKC family and is now available for sale. For more detail specifications, please visit our official website: http://www.myhkc.com/en/index.asp or contact us by email: sales.m@fim18.com