SlashPhone » Bluetooth 3.0

New Samsung Wave 578 Featuring Bada 2.0, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0

Kim Poh Liaw — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:38:29 +0000

At Mobile World Congress 2011 this week, Samsung has expanded its Wave series with Samsung Wave 578. The new Wave 578 will use the latest Bada 2.0 OS, comes with built in Near Field Communication (NFC) chipset for mobile payment supported with the new Bada 2.0.

It’s not targeting at high end market though. This mid-range Bada smartphone has a 3.2-inch WQVGA touch screen, 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 3.0 and built in WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. It also has an additional front camera for video call.

According to the press release, the new Wave 578 will be available in most regions gradually from May 2011.

Press release

Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd. a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the Samsung Wave 578 at Mobile World Congress 2011. The new bada handset is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) connectivity, a sleek, user-friendly design, and runs on bada, Samsung’s own smartphone platform.

“With the Samsung Wave 578 handset, we will provide the latest innovation in mobile industry running on bada platform. The enhanced connectivity, design and social experiences enabled by this handset, represent Samsung’s commitment to democratizing the smart phone market and providing users around the world with access to rich experiences and content,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.

Connectivity & Speed

Samsung Wave 578 is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) – a technology that allows users to enjoy many innovative services such as mobile payment at the shops and paying transportation fare, reading tags, getting mobile coupons, etc.

Users can enjoy the fastest connectivity available on the Samsung Wave 578. With Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, and USB 2.0, the device enables fast data rates and easy information sharing.

Sleek Design

With soft rounded edges that support an ergonomic grip and a sleek metallic body, the Samsung Wave 578 is comfortable to hold and fashionable in every social situation. The device does not compromise function for form and offers the best of both worlds with a sleek design and value-added features.

The QuickType by t9 Trace is two to three times faster than standard typing and supports more than 75 languages. It will deliver a more convenient typing experience while reducing input error. The Samsung Wave 578 is also equipped with multi-touch functionality so that users can easily zoom in and out and pinch the screen to browse and view the gallery.

Enhanced Social Experiences

A rich communication suite (RCS) supports a wide variety of social communication on the Samsung Wave 578. Users can share content while chatting on the phone or send messages to several friends at the same time. The experience on the device is further maximized through SNS (social networking service) integration that seamlessly connects contacts across various social outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, so that users can focus on the people who matter most. Push IM enables users to access messages anywhere and anytime on the Samsung Wave 578.

Samsung Apps, an integrated application store accessible from the device and online, allows Wave users to simply and easily download an abundance of applications. Featuring a wealth of games, navigation, social networking, e-book, health and lifestyle applications, Samsung Apps gives users instant access to a wide range of mobile experiences on the Samsung Wave 578 handset.

The Samsung Wave 578 will be available in May of 2011 in France and will be gradually rolled out to European countries, CIS, South East Asia, India, Middle East, and China.

The Samsung Wave 578 will be on display at Hall 8, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Samsung Galaxy S 2 Leaked Before Tomorrow’s Announcement

Kim Poh Liaw — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:22:23 +0000

Supposed to be officially revealed tomorrow evening, the Samsung Galaxy S 2 has been accidentally “announced” on Korea’s news site Paran with detail specifications and picture. The upcoming release looks similar to the first Galaxy S but in a larger form with 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen.

Powered by a 1GHz dual core CPU, the new Android smartphone is running on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It comes with built in Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi (a/b/g/n) and support HSPA+ wireless data connection. With an increased screen size, Samsung has managed to further reduce the Galaxy S 2thickness to 8.49mm compare to the Galaxy S. What is still unknown is the available built in memory storage and microSD card slot, full detail will be available on February 14 evening.

Together with the Samsung Galaxy S 2 info, Samsung is also confirmed to be pushing its next Galaxy Tab Android tablet. The new Android tablet is also powered by 1GHz dual core CPU, 8 megapixel camera and support Full HD video recording.

[via Samsung Hub / via Engadget / via SlashGear]

Nokia’s second Symbian^3 smartphone C7 to hit the market

Kim Poh Liaw — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:45:47 +0000

Featuring the Nokia Symbian^3 platform, the C7 shipments are started and will hit your market soon. The Nokia C7 features a 3.5-inch AMOLED display and a combination of stainless steel, glass and soft edges. Estimated retail price is EUR 335, excluding taxes and subsidies.

Nokia C7 Specifications:

Size:117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5 mm
Weight (with battery): 130 g
Display: 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, 640 x 360 pixels
Proximity sensor
Ambient light detector
BL-5K 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery
Built in WiFi, GPS
Bluetooth 3.0
Micro USB connector
2mm Charging connector
3.5 mm AV connector
Internal memory: 8 GB
MicroSD card slot
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
8 megapixel camera, dual LED flash
FM Radio Receiver

The smartphone for the design-conscious social networker, the Nokia C7, has started shipping to customers around the world. The second Nokia smartphone based on the new Symbian platform, the Nokia C7 follows hot on the heels of the company’s entertainment powerhouse, the Nokia N8.

The Nokia C7 combines stainless steel and glass in a sleek, full-touch design. The 3.5 inch AMOLED display is ideal for networking, with updates from Facebook and Twitter fed directly to the home screen, as well as one touch access to many popular email accounts including Ovi Mail, Yahoo!® Mail and Windows Live(TM) Hotmail. The Nokia C7 also opens up a world of apps, games, videos, and web and location-based services through the Ovi Store.

“The Nokia C7 is our second smartphone based on the new version of Symbian to hit the market,” says Jo Harlow, head of smartphones at Nokia. “Designed specifically with the style-conscious consumer in mind, the Nokia C7 also brings excellent social networking abilities, making it perfect for people who want to check-in and stay up to date.”

Following the release of this social-networking centric device, Nokia will be setting out to find the most active Facebook user from the more than 1.4 million fans on Nokia’s own global Facebook page. Nokia will then pick five finalists who will each be provided with a Nokia C7 to organize a party using various social networks. The fan who best captures their party through Facebook – generating the most coverage with updates and posts – will win a Nokia C7 for themselves and 20 of their friends.

The estimated retail price of the Nokia C7 is EUR 335 before applicable taxes or subsidies, with pricing and availability varying from region to region, operator to operator.

First Nokia N8 Sample Video is Amazing

Kim Poh Liaw — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:44:58 +0000

If mobile phone’s camera is your first priority, Nokia N8 is definitely worth a look when it is available in next few months (Q3 2010). The 12 megapixel camera module is capable of recording 720p HD video, comes with Xenon flash and optimized auto focusing. A 720p sample video is released by Nokia based on a prototype. Its quality is one of the best among the camera phones available now. Original source is also available for download in mp4 format.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other than the camera’s video recording sample, Nokia has also uploaded a series of N8 promotional videos on YouTube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nokia N8 specs:

Network: WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Size: 113.5 x 59.12 x 12.9 mm (L x W x H)
Weight: 135g
Display: 3.5 inch widescreen (640 x 360 pixels) capacitive touch screen
Battery: 1200mAh BL-4D
Media Storage/Memory: 16GB internal mass memory + micro SD card slot, 135MB internal memory, support up to 32GB memory cards.
RAM256 / ROM512
FM radio
Camera: 12 megapixels Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash
Video capture: HD 720p
WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0 with support for stereo headsets
Positioning with GPS, A-GPS, WLAN and Cell-ID
Micro-USB 2.0
3.5 mm headphone jack
Talk time (GSM/WCDMA) –12/5 h 50min
Standby (GSM/WCDMA) –390/400 h
Video record –3 h 20 min
Music playback –50 h
Video playback –7 h
Video playback with HDMI –6 h
Web TV –3 h 20 min

12 Megapixel Camera Phone Nokia N8 Officially Announced with 5 Colors

Kim Poh Liaw — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:58:55 +0000

Powered by the Nokia latest Symbian ^3, the Nokia N8 is surprisingly announced today with its powerful 12 megapixel camera and Xenon flash. The N8 will also go on sale in Q3 this year at an estimated price tag of 370 euro. Other than the dark grey version previewed by mobile-review, there are other colors available too in silver white, green, blue and orange. According to Nokia, the Xenon flash on the Nokia N8 is 30 percent smaller compare to its usual design but yet able to produce a similar level of flash power. The team has also improved the auto focusing speed, as well as a fast 150 milliseconds latency in the shutter release.

Other than taking 12 megapixel still picture, the Nokia N8 is capable of recording 720p HD video and edit them using its pre-installed editing suite. The HDMI connector will then allow you to easily play your videos with a much bigger TV screen. The first release of Symbian ^3 has also implemented with multi-tasking and gestures like multi touch, flick scrolling and pinch-zoom. There are different homescreens for you to customize with various apps and widgets.

The Nokia N8 is Nokia’s first device to be integrated with Qt. Developers can now download the Nokia Qt SDK in beta to start develop software for the Nokia N8.

Check out the official Nokia N8 specs below:

Network: WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Size: 113.5 x 59.12 x 12.9 mm (L x W x H)
Weight: 135g
Display: 3.5 inch widescreen (640 x 360 pixels) capacitive touch screen
Battery: 1200mAh BL-4D
Media Storage/Memory: 16GB internal mass memory + micro SD card slot, 135MB internal memory, support up to 32GB memory cards.
RAM256 / ROM512
FM radio
Camera: 12 megapixels Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash
Video capture: HD 720p
WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0 with support for stereo headsets
Positioning with GPS, A-GPS, WLAN and Cell-ID
Micro-USB 2.0
3.5 mm headphone jack
Talk time (GSM/WCDMA) –12/5 h 50min
Standby (GSM/WCDMA) –390/400 h
Video record –3 h 20 min
Music playback –50 h
Video playback –7 h
Video playback with HDMI –6 h
Web TV –3 h 20 min

Bluetooth 4.0 Expected by End of Second Quarter 2010

Evan Selleck — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:54:23 +0000

We’re just moving right along here when it comes to Bluetoth, aren’t we? Sure enough, even as Bluetooth 3.0 is still relatively “fledgling,” the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has gone ahead and completed all their hard work for the next version of the specification. Welcome 4.0, ladies and gentlemen.

The Bluetooth SIG has officially announced today that they’ve completed the necessary work for the Bluetooth 4.0 specification. With the new specification, Bluetooth radios will be able to function using far less power, while improving on the already strong groundwork placed by Bluetooth 3.0+HS. And while the Bluetooth SIG has said that the specification is primarily aimed at smaller devices like watches and sensors, the new specification will also appear in mobile phones.

So, when is all this goodness supposed to hit the market? The Bluetooth SIG believes that the technology will hit the market in devices by the end of the second quarter, 2010. That’s not too far away, so we wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing some specifications sheets with Bluetooth 4.0 to start hitting our desks soon.

[via Bluetooth SIG]

New Bluetooth version 3.0 High Speed Coming Soon

Kim Poh Liaw — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:41:24 +0000

Bluetooth SIG today has revealed its next generation of Bluetooth standard, called Version 3.0 High Speed (HS) or Bluetooth 3.0. Bluetooth 3.0 gets its speed from the 802.11 radio protocol. The inclusion of the 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) provides increased throughput of data transfers at the approximate rate of 24 Mbps. This newest version of Bluetooth technology builds on the inherent qualities of the current 2.1 EDR version, including Simple Secure Pairing and built-in, automatic security. End products for consumers are expected to be in the market in 9 to 12 months

With the availability of Bluetooth version 3.0 HS, consumers can expect to move large data files of videos, music and photos between their own devices and the trusted devices of others, without the need for cables and wires. Some applications consumers will experience include:

Wirelessly bulk synchronize music libraries between PC and music player or phone
Bulk download photos to a printer or PC
Send video files from camera or phone to computer or television

[via slashgear]