Tech Digest

Palm's colourful Treo 680 smartphone debuts

If the Palm Treo 750v was a bit rich for your tastes, you might be interested in the company's new entry-level model - the Palm Treo 680, which is slimmer than other Treo handsets and also available in a choice of colours.

The Treo 680 is being pitched at the "professional consumer" - which probably means someone who wants the added functionality of a smartphone, but doesn't want to sacrifice the looks. Saying that, it doesn't look much different to the 750v, apart from the colour. The 680 a quand-band phone with 320x320 colour screen, Bluetooth, enhanced sms messaging (you can view as a thread rather than individual messages), 64MB of storage (which can be boosted by card), email, web browsing (via Blazer 4.5), music player, VGA camera, photo album and Documents To Go - so you can view, edit and share Word and Excel documents. The operating system is Palm OS.

It's available in red, orange, white and silver. Or rather will be - Palm isn't being specific about a release date in Europe, but will be clearer towards the end of this year, they assure us.

Find out more

Vodafone offers BlackBerry Pearl on its website

As well as O2, it seems that Vodafone is also offering the BlackBerry Pearl, with pre-orders being taken on the company's website.

Check out our video for a hands-on look at the BlackBerry Pearl. Or if you just want a quick specification, it's got a media player, 1.3 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM/GPRS reception, Bluetooth and  push email. The QWERTY keyboard features the SureType prediction system, and there's a trackball control in place of BlackBerry's usual jogwheel.

Price is dependent on contract, ranging from free to £250. No shipping dater as yet.

Vodafone website

Via The Register

HP launches new iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion, rw6815 Personal Messenger and rx4000 Mobile Media Companion

  HP has three new pocket PCs on the market - the iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion, rw6815 Personal Messenger and rx4000 Mobile Media Companion - all equipped with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system and Bluetooth.

The iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion offers everything you'd expect from a high-end satellite navigation system - SiRF Star III GPS receiver, TomTom Navigator 6 navigation software and complete regional or Maps of Western Europe pre-installed on internal 1GB/2GB Flash memory. Theres also a multi-lingual interface offering over 30 different language options, route choice based on quickest, shortest, avoid toll roads, on bicycle, or as a pedestrian, itinerary planning (multiple destinations) and the option of real-time traffic information, safety camera location and places of interest. And of course, it's a handheld PC with the Office software, mobile entertainment and integrated Wi-Fi.

The iPAQ rw6815 Personal Messenger sells itself on connectivity, with Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and email synchronising automatically over your mobile phone network using Direct Push Technology. You can also listen to music, as well as viewing videos and photos - and taking snaps with the built-in Photosmart camera. The iPAQ rx4000 Mobile Media Companion features over 1GB of storage for your music and video files with an SD slot to boost further or transfer files. There's also Photosmart Mobile software to convert your handheld into a digital photo album with wide-viewing angle and Skype support.

All devices will be in the shops by the end of October - the iPAQ rx5000 will retail for between £299 - £349 (depending on model), the rw6815 will sell for £369.99 and the iPAQ rx4000 will be available from £199.99.

HP website

FreeB TV - ROK offers free mobile TV over GPRS

Not many companies seem as charitable as ROK these days. Not content with offering free VoIP calling via Bluetooth for mobile phones, it's now offering free mobile TV over GPRS (2.5G) under the name of FreeB TV in both the US and the UK.

The service is currently available with 14 handsets (check website for list) and offers 4 channels of content - Classic Cartoons, Classic Movies, Vintage Conedy and Extreme Sports, with a YOU-MADE-IT channel of users' funny clips to follow. If you want to try it, visit the website, enter a few details and you'll get a WAP link sent to your handset to access the service.

Obviously the service is free, but the data charges still apply. But if you have a bit of spare data and a bit of spare time, it's cfertainly worth a look.

FreeB TV website

Review: Blackberry Pearl

The Propaganda

The Blackberry Pearl is RIM's attempt to "get Blackberry out of the boardroom". They've made themselves indispensable to Serious Business People around the world, but now they're after said Serious People's kids. Or at least their less responsible, black-sheep-in-the-family, we're-not-sure-he'll-ever-settle-down, younger brother.

They're also hoping that people will now truly ditch the mobile phone they've been carrying around in addition to their emailing device, as they think they've cracked the perfect combination of data and phone functionality. But then, doesn't everybody?

The Good

Out of the box, the Blackberry Pearl emerges all shiny and new. I have to admit, if I didn't know about the phones magical abilities, I would be tempted to buy it on looks alone. This is an impressive feat bearing in mind the quality of the competition out there. I'm getting bored of saying it, but it really does have a 'piano black' finish which stays that way, despite being chucked in my bag to wrestle against keys, sand and other miscellany. The black is set off with chrome on the sides, and surrounding the camera. It's pretty. The best bit about it is the ball or 'pearl' you use for scrolling, in the centre under the screen. It's a great way of scrolling through the extensive menu, since it works in the same way to the ball in a mouse, not constrained to moving just left to right and up and down. It also lights up with a kind of purplish glow when you start using it. 

The email system itself is really easy to set-up, and is designed with consumers in mind, rather than those who have an IT guy and an Exchange server. It's simply a case of getting on the Blackberry website from your PC entering your email address and password, and you're done. There's no entering of smtp addresses, finding well hid settings or anything that you could mess up.  The only sticking point is that if you want Hotmail to deliver, you need to pay MSN for 'premium access', but that's an MSN problem rather than RIM's.

The performance of the Pearl could be battery sapping. After all, it's got a great screen that adjusts it's brightness according to your surroundings, Push email, and more backlighting than you can shake a stick at. In fact, I got about 3 days fairly typical use from a single charge.

In an attempt to catch up with other phone manufacturers, RIM have added a media player for music, photos and videos. To support this, they've included a MicroSD slot, and bundle a card with it, although they're not clear on what size it will be at the moment. They've also included headphones for your media.

The Bad

Blackberry are really pushing the inclusion of a camera on this one, but at 1.3 megapixels it doesn't stand up against the competition. It's the size now seen on budget phones, and those where the camera isn't anything more than a quick addition when needs must. Given Blackberry's excitement about it being there, you'd have thought they'd have got a better one. They've also put the MicroSD card under the SIM, which is a personal hate. It makes it really tricky to get to, and risks damaging the SIM card.

There are also certain things seen on your average mobile which you'll miss. There's no way of instantly getting into a new SMS message, or your contacts - all of these are done through the main menu. And to put that in perspective, the main menu has 33 different icons to navigate through, although you can move the order they appear in. There are 5 icons on the home screen, but they seem bizarre choices, including Enterprise Activation and Yahoo Messenger. There are two buttons either side of the handset which you can personalise, but there doesn't seem to be a way of personalising the home screen. [Update: you can move the icons by rearranging the main menu, which in turn changes the home screen icon order].

The keypad itself is a full QWERTY keypad, but has two letters to each button. And unlike other models, it's not a case of hitting each side of the key to get the different letter. So, this gives you a combination of predictive text and normal typing, where you've got to keep an eye on what you're being predicted to avoid having to go back and do it all again. I found it really difficult to get used to, as the predictive element fooled my brain into thinking that the keypad would be set up like a normal phone. I would have found it quicker and easier if it had I think. 

Another bone of contention is the lack of scroll wheel, which many Blackberry addicts will no doubt lament. Whilst the Pearl is attractive, and good for skipping about the screen, it's just not as quick when you want to go through emails or scan to the bottom of a document. For some reason, the test model I had would plonk me in the middle of yesterday's messages when I entered the email inbox, which meant I had about 40 emails to get through before I could see my new ones. It only started doing this after a few days, so it might just be a bug in an early model. 

There is no 3G on this model, which Blackberry put down to an issue of space. This does mean that web pages are slow to download, and in addition, certain pages are completely useless to you. The squares of images that make up a streetmap are put one on top of each other, making it impossible to see where the connections are.

Geek Sheet

Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.97 x .57 inches

Weight: 3.1 oz

Screen: 65,000 colors, 240 x 260 pixel color display

Camera: 1.3MP camera with flash

Memory: 64 MB flash memory with Micro SD slot

Network: Quad-Band: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks

In our opinion

Despite it's faults, the Blackberry Pearl is tempting. Whether it'll get those elusive consumers emailing on the move I suspect will depend largely on the packages carriers put together - there's still a fear held by many people that they will somehow end up with an enormous phone bill come the end of the month if they use data services.

T-Mobile offers TrafficTV real-time traffic information to BlackBerry users

Stuck in a jam? Not sure if your route is going to be congested? You can now find out for sure by checking your BlackBerry, with T-Mobile offering the TrafficTV mobile application exclusively on those devices.

TrafficTV combines Trafficmaster Traffic information with live CCTV pictures. Install it on your BlackBerry for a full interactive map of the UK and live 24 x 7 access to Trafficmaster’ traffic information and over 500 CCTV pictures. Trafficmaster has sensors on over 8,000 miles of motorway and trunk roads in the UK, flagging up delays as they happen. And if you want to see it for yourself, you can reference CCTV camera images in real time.

Contact T-Mobile for exact costs, which they claim start from around 10p per day.

T-Mobile website

Palm (finally) launches the Treo 750v

Palm has today officially launched the long awaited Treo 750v, together with Vodafone and Microsoft. Available throughout Europe from the end of October, the 750v will be available exclusively from Vodafone for at least 3 months. It's the first Palm device to be designed with Europe in mind, hence the lopping off of the enormous aerial found on previous Treo devices. Whilst the previous Treo models were hugely popular in the US, the same pick-up has yet to be seen over here.

Using the latest Windows Mobile OS, the Treo 750v features a touch screen as well as a full QWERTY keyboard. The Vodafone connection takes advantage of their 3G network, formatting web pages to fit the 240x240 screen. Other features include a miniSD card slot, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and the Windows Media Player.

Cost wise, Vodafone are offering it on certain tariffs for free, whilst others will have to pay £150. Email packages start at £10 a month, to prevent nasty surprises at the end of the month.  So far, there are no details about which carriers will be picking it up from January onwards.

Check out the video here.

One Minute Review: Palm Treo 750v

Palm launched their latest Treo 750v today, which is their first Windows based device available in Europe. It's also heavily Vodafone friendly as they've got exclusivity for at least 3 months. It'll be available from the end of October, although you can preorder now.

HTC unveils P3600, P3300 PDAs and S620, S310 smartphones

HTC has unveiled four new devices today - the S620 slim smartphone, the S310 candy bar-style smartphone, the P3300 navigation PDA and the P3600 HSDPA-ready PDA. All devices will be available under the HTC brand as well as in customised versions for operator partners - with the P3300 already snapped up by T-Mobile for launch as the MDA Compact III.

The HTC S620 (pictured) is a slimline smartphone at just 12.8mm thin and weighing 130g with battery. It's the first device to feature HTC’s JOGGR touch sensitive navigation bar, which offers quick access to applications including Outlook Mobile (with push email), Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and a PDF viewer. The quand band phone also features a 2.4-inch, colour, landscape screen, a fully integrated QWERY keyboard, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. it should be in Europe from October.

The HTC S310 is a candy bar-style smartphone featuring Windows Mobile 5.0. More comsumer-friendly, this quad band device will be available in a range of colours later this month.

The P3300 (pictured) is HTC’s first dedicated navigation PDA with built-in GPS and features the latest TomTom software, Navigator 6. Both 2D and 3D maps are claimed to be easy to install and view using HTC’s RollRTM (Trackball and Track Wheel) and theoptimised 2.8-inch colour screen. Retailing from October 2006, it will be available with a 'taster pack' of regional maps or as a full version pre-loaded with a complete set of maps for Western Europe.

The P3600 is billed as HTC’s next generation PDA. Running with Windows Mobile 5.0, it also features 3G connectivity and is HSDPA-ready. There's also a music player and two megapixel camera. Available in a black or white glossy finish, the HTC P3600 will be available across Europe later this month.

HTC website www.htc.com

Virgin's Mobile TV unveiled for October launch

Virgin has unveiled its Mobile TV service, with the first broadcast set to commence from October 1st, coinciding with a huge advertising blitz, fronted by Pamela Anderson.

The service, which uses the DAB IP-based BT Movio platform, will offer four TV channels - BBC one, ITV1, Channel 4 and E4, along with 50 digital radio stations, 'red-button' interactivity and a seven-day electronic programme guide (EPG). Channel 4 will initially broadcast Channel 4 Short Cuts, a made-for-mobile TV channel, with a full Channel 4 simulcast to following at a later date. That's not the only limitation - some films, sports broadcasts and US shows will also be removed from broadcast, while the BBC's participation is on a 12-month trial basis.

Virgin is offering the service via the Lobster 700, its first Windows-based smartphone. If you sign up to a contract of £25 per month or more, you get the handset and the TV service for free for the life of your contract. You can also take the Lobster on pre-pay for £199, with the service free for 3 months, followed by a £5 a month charge.

Virgin Mobile

O2 offers BlackBerry Pearl and new BlackBerry tariffs

If you're keen to get your hands on the new BlackBerry Pearl handset, which we got hands-on with last night, you'll probaby be interested to know that O2 has announced availability of the device, along with new BlackBerry tariffs.

The BlackBerry Pearl is Research In Motion's attempt to court the consumer market with their device, offering BlackBerry functionality in a more stylish smartphone body. It features a media player for MP3 music and MPEG4 video, 1.3MP camera with built-in flash and zoom, Picture CallerID support, the ability to send images via MMS or BlackBerry email, integration with the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software to transfer images to and from their handsets. and storage via the Micro-SD card (to boost the 64MB on-board). If that sounds a bit multimieda for you, there's still the traditional BlackBerry functionality including wireless push-based email, quad-band phone (with EDGE), SMS, web browsing, intranet access capability, organiser and instant messaging.

O2 has launched two new tarrifs to tempt us to go for the new device from 2nd October. The Pay As You Use tariff is an entry level package for lighter data users - with no monthly subscription for O2 voice customers. You can send and receive emails, browse the web and use Yahoo! Instant Messaging through the BlackBerry for £2.30 (ex VAT) per MB. O2’s unlimited tariff allows for unlimited BlackBerry internet data (which is actually a fair usage of 75MB monthly) including sending and receiving emails from £8.51 (ex VAT) per month depending on your existing O2 contract. The unlimited tariff can also be taken as a stand alone contract without a voice subscription.

Visit the O2 website for further details

T-Mobile issues traffic wardens with penalty-issuing PDAs

Transport for London (TfL), has implemented some new mobile technology from AMT-SYBEX and T-Mobile to improve travel conditions and enforce traffic regulations more effectively on London’s Red Routes - the capital’s most important roads, using PDAs to dish out tickets and pass on information for traffic hold ups.

The Red Routes are used on one third of all road journeys made in the Capital. Under an agreement with TfL, Metropolitan Police personnel patrol the roads each day to keep traffic can moving freely. To boost this further, traffic wardens (now known as on-street enforcement staff apparently) will each be given T-Mobile MDAII with built-in cameras and Bluetooth enabled printers, pre-loaded with TfL map data.

What does this mean for you the motorist? Well, if you see a traffic warden with a PDA, don't think they're chatting to a friend or browsing the net, they could be giving you a ticket if you're parked illegally - and taking a photo of it as evidence of the wrongdoing. However, on the plus side, it also means they can use GPRS technology to pass on details of congestion, broken down vehicles or damage to road signs - so you might get to your destination quicker.

You have been warned.

T-Mobile website

Asus MyPal A639 - combined GPS and PDA with 1GB memory

Heading to Europe is the Asus MyPal A639, a device that offers both GPS and PDA functionality, with on-board storage of 1GB.

The MyPal A639 features a 3.5-inch transflective touchscreen TFT LCD, which can be used in both portrait and landscape mode, thanks to a swivel antenna, which keeps it parallel to the sky, ensuring best reception at both angles. The 1GB of storage should be plenty to store both maps and your music and files. If it isn't, there's an SD slot to boost it further.

The MyPal A639 is powered by an Intel Xscale 416MHz processor, operating on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, which means Windows Media Player Mobile, Pocket Outlook, Calendar, Internet Explorer Mobile and Word Mobile. As well as GPS connectivity, there's also WLAN 802.11b and g, and Bluetooth, with the device also doubling up as a voice recorder, courtesy of a built-in microphone.

Exact price and availability details to be confirmed.

Asus website

More PDAs:
T-Mobile launches MDA Vario II with HSDPA connectivity
Orange announces SPV M3100 with HSDPA connectivity

T-Mobile launches MDA Vario II with HSDPA connectivity

Just a week after Orange launched the SPV M3100 with HSDPA connectivity, T-Mobile has launched its own super 3G device - the MDA Vario II. There's one big difference though - T-Mobile has an HSDPA network in operation.

T-Mobile claims the MDA Vario II will provide users with connection speeds of up to 1.8 megabits per second - four times faster than previously available with 3G. If you move into an area that isn't yet covered (HSDPA appararently covers the same area as T-Mobile's 3G network), the Vario II will automatically connect via Wi-Fi and GPRS, so you're always connected at the fastest possible speed. It's also Web‘n’Walk-enabled, pre-installed with a web browser so you can browse the net the way you'd browse it on your home PC.

The MDA Vario II features a sliding QWERTY keyboard, which which illuminates in low light, an integrated 2 megapixel camera with LED flash, VGA camera (for video calling) and Bluetooth connectivity. It's based on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and comes with Microsoft Office installed, so you can use Outlook and view and edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. Push email is also available for business users running Microsoft Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2.

The Vario II is available now in a limited edition red, silver and black casing. Prices differ dependent on your contract, with a maximum price of £299.

T-Mobile website

More HSDPA:
Orange announces SPV M3100 with HSDPA connectivity
Vodafone to launch v1605 HSDPA/super 3G handset

Vodafone to launch v1605 HSDPA/super 3G handset

Just days after Orange announced a HSDPA (super 3G) handset in the form of the SPV M3100, Vodafone is set to follow, with an own-brand version of the HTC TyTN Windows Mobile-based handset, dubbed the v1605.

Details are scarce at present with regards to the specification, but as it's the TyTN, it should feature a 2.8-inch, 240 x 320 touchscreen display, Wi-Fi wireless networking, tri-band GSM/GPRS, along with 3G and HSDPA. There's also a two megapixel camera on the back. It should also feature a 400MHz processor, 64MB of RAM and a Micro SD slot for boosting your storage.

You can order it now from Vodafone's website as a business customer, with price based on number ordered and contract - but prices range up to £250. There's no confirmed shipping date.

Vodafone website

Via The Register

More HSDPA:
Orange announces SPV M3100 with HSDPA connectivity
LG unveils HSDPA two-way slider phone

Orange announces SPV M3100 with HSDPA connectivity

Orange has expanded its Signature devices for business range with the SPV M3100 PDA with 3G, GPRS, EDGE, WiFi and most interestingly,  HSDPA connectivity for the first time. But there's one drawback - Orange is unlikely to have an HSDPA network for sometime yet.

HSDPA (or 3G broadband) is the next major leap in mobile connectivity - offering data transfer well in excess of current 3G speeds - over three times faster than current 3G and over 40 times faster than GPRS. Both Vodafone and T-Mobile have a network in place - Orange is still testing theirs, with a launch date currently estimated as an undetermined date in 2007. Still, I guess you're future-proof if you pick one of these devices up - and you've plenty of other connectivity options in the meantime.

The M3100 with QVGA 320x240 pixel touch screen is powered by Windows Mobile 5.0, which means access to all the Microsoft business software (Outlook, Word, Excel), along with push email. It also features a full sliding qwerty keyboard, Bluetooth, USB and infrared connectivity, 128MB internal memory and entertainment options including Windows Media Player, a 2.3MP camera and video recorder. Talk time is up to 4 hours or 3 hours for 3G. Standby time is up to 6 days.

The SPV M3100 is available now to UK business customers for £315 (ex VAT) or from free, depending on your contract.

Orange website

More HSDPA:
Vodafone first to offer 3G broadband in the UK
LG unveils HSDPA two-way slider phone

Mobile internet - most of us don't use it

Virtually all new mobiles and PDAs on the market feature a web browser, but new research suggests that, for most us, it's just another add-on we don't need.

The research from Hostway has found that although many people can access internet services from their mobile phone, three quarters (73%) are not taking advantage of it. Amongst the reasons for not using mobile internet were being frustrated by slow-loading pages (38%), problems with navigating websites from a phone or PDA (27%) and some websites being completely unavailable on mobile phones (25%).

"At the moment, most websites just aren't flexible enough to be accessed on mobile phones," said Neil Barton, a director at Hostway. "There's nothing wrong with having a flash website with all the bells and whistles you can muster, but you've got to be aware that mobile users simply aren't going to be able to access it. The research illustrates that even if people do wait for sites to load, quite often it's impossible to actually get at the content itself because of the way that sites are built."

However, the survey suggests that if these problems could be remedied, people would be more enthusiastic about using the net on the move. 90% of the survey said that they would use mobile internet if they could be sure that pages would load faster and they wouldn't incur high costs from their mobile operator. Accessing email on the move (71%) and the latest news and sport (47%) were highlighted as the most desirable services from a mobile.

The research, commissioned by Hostway, was conducted by independent research body TNS and surveyed 1484 consumers in Great Britain.

Hostway website

One Minute Review: HTC Tytn

Here's the HTC Tytn live and in person, along with Susi (also live and in person). For more details, check out the in-depth written review.

Review: STRTrk/QTEK 8500 smartphone

The Propaganda

Having seen a whole slew of Windows Mobile based smartphones and Pocket PCs this week, we've got a further review of the HTC STRTrk (otherwise known as the QTEK 8500) having had a bit more of an in-depth look at it. Essentially, it's a smartphone which runs Windows Mobile 5.0, masquerading as a mass market mobile. Available in pink, silver or black, Microsoft are hoping this will be the smartphone that will appeal to a broader selection of people than the corporate workaholics.

The Good

The handset itself is attractive, making it a contender for the many mobile phone users who have no previous experience with smartphones. It's just 15mm thick, and has an external display, as well as external MP3 player controls. These controls also work as call reject and ring silencer buttons when you get an incoming call. The display itself is 2.2" square, which means it's big enough to display a photo of the contact, as well as the name. The cover also features two LED lights, which tell you the battery level, Bluetooth status and network coverage at a glance.

It's loaded with Windows Media Player, which makes it easy to synch music, video and even TV programmes if you're using Windows Media Centre.  It is also equipped with Stereo Bluetooth, which means you can listen to headphones without wires, and control the MP3 player from the controls on the headset. Alternatively, it comes with wired headphones.

Unsurprisingly, the STRTrk works primarily as a phone and then as a data device, so there's nothing to frighten off first time users on opening the phone. The typepad is similar to Motorola's laser-etched design, which some people love and others hate (I'm a hater, and obviously suffer from butcher's fingers).  There's two soft keys which initially link to a Windows Start button shortcut, and another for contacts.

ActiveSync is easy to set up, as are POP3 accounts. This is fairly essential when you bear in mind the market for this phone which is not confined to those using corporate servers.

The Bad

Although the Windows Media Player is easy, in it's current state it can't hold any more than three songs. You can expand the 64Mb of internal memory via a MiniSD card. Unfortunately, the slot for this is tucked under the battery, and under the SIM card, making it fiddly to install. It also means that you have to take out the SIM card every time you put in or change the card.

The phone also isn't as nippy as you might like. There were occasions during the test when messages took a while to appear, and it seemed that the MP3 player suffered if you were using something complicated like the camera. That's the camera that doesn't have a light, by the way.

The messaging is also a bit clumsy. Unlike many phones, there aren't any shortcuts. For instance, if you want to compose a new message, you've got to go to Start/Messages and then swop out of whatever view you were previously in (Email message from the boss for instance) and then trail back through your email inbox, then choose your text message inbox and finally you can choose 'new message'.  By which time, you wish you'd just called the person.

Connectivity wise, there's no Wifi or 3G support which many other Windows Mobile devices now include.

In our opinion

It seems that this phone doesn't really know what it is. It's not intuitive enough to rival a mass market handset like a Sony Ericsson W700i, despite having the credentials there in theory (different colours, MP3 player externally, 1.3 megapixel camera). On the other hand, the lack of QWERTY keyboard and awkward controls makes it hard to make the most of what Windows Mobile can offer.  It seems like it will appeal to those who occasionally want email and internet access, but won't be bothered with the lack of easy shortcuts you'd normally expect from a similar looking phone.  It's available for £305 SIM free, or free on certain O2 contracts.

Microsoft next generation smartphones previewed

I recently spent an afternoon being shown the latest and greatest smartphones and Pocket PC's, with a view to finding out what exactly it was that Microsoft were so damn excited about.

Essentially, we're now faced with more choices than ever before, as illustrated by the photo to the left. These are all the phones either currently in the UK, or expected to join us at some point this year.  All of them run of Windows Mobile 5.0, so have Push Email, and the ability to remotely wipe the device if it's lost.

From bottom left - right:

Treo 700w: A controversial one, this. Palm have dumped the Palm OS in favour of the Windows Mobile platform, in a move that has incensed many die-hard Treo fans. Pictured is the US Verizon version, but the result of the recently announced partnering for the next UK Treo between Vodafone and Palm is not expected to be vastly different. The main addition to the keypad is predictably the Windows Start Menu button. As far as a launch date is concerned 'coming soon' was all we got.

T Mobile MDA Vario: This has been available in the UK for a while now. It features a slide-out QWERTY keypad, WiFi, GPRS, EDGE, although no 3G. In fact. it's very similar to...

..The HTC Tytn: We reviewed this a few days ago. It's one of the first Pocket PC brought to us by HTC, who have traditionally manufactured handsets for people like Orange and O2 to stick their name on. It features WiFi, 3G and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. We found it for £50 on an O2 contract, or over £500 SIM free. Available in the UK now.

HTC STRTrk: Confusingly, this is known as StarTrek and as the QTEK 850.  It's a quadband EDGE phone, which features Bluetooth, an MP3 player, a 1.3 megapixel camera and a MicroSD card. This is a departure from the previous phones, since this is aimed squarely at the consumer market - no touchscreen or QWERTY keypad, but available in black, silver and pink. Despite this, it comes fully loaded with Windows Media 5.0 so you've still got all the Direct Push and Windows functionality.  Available in the UK now for £305 SIM free.

Top row left to right:

Samsung I320: This has recently launched in Italy and France, and we were told that a UK launch was planned. It's extremely thin when you put it next to something like a Treo, despite featuring a full QWERTY keypad. It's got 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a MicroSD card, although no touchscreen.

HTC MTeoR: This is the more phone-centric offering from HTC. It's 3G, with a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, and another by the screen for video calls. Again, no QWERTY keypad, or touch screen, but this one is in a candy bar style. This is going to be available in the next 10 days from O2, by the looks of Expansys.

iPAQ HP 6900: This isn't yet available in the UK, although it will be eventually (no definite dates yet, but we'll keep you posted). It's got both a QWERTY keypad and a touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth all built into a slim candybar handset. It's been billed as the Treo killer, because of its combination of keypad and touch screen.

So, we've got the handsets. And from the looks of it, we've got the apps. For instance, Slingbox have announced SlingPlayer Mobile, which is already available in the US.  It's exclusively for Windows Mobile based PDAs and smartphones, and allows you to watch your home TV wherever you are, via an internet connection (WiFi USB or Bluetooth). It's not here yet, but watch this space. 

The next launch for Microsoft is with Windows Live, which is currently in Beta testing. It plots your position on the globe, down to the nearest mm or something equally exact, and then gives you all the information you could possibly desire - nearest restaurant, reviews of nearest restaurant, map to the nearest restaurant, cash machine nearest to restaurant, great-aunt Gertrude's opinion of nearest restaurant, all seamlessly integrated with your phone functions. It's not dissimilar to something like Vodafone's Find and Seek service, but looks like it will be better integrated into the Windows Mobile 'experience'.

They're also keen to integrate Windows Media Centre into their devices. This to the right is the Toshiba Gigabeat S which features the Windows Media interface. It's so far only been released in the US, but with 30GB or 60GB of storage, a sharp colour screen and both coming in cheaper than the Apple alternative, it's a bit of a winner.  There aren't currently any plans to bring it to the UK, but with previous models available here, all is not lost.

Mobile TV - consumer report finds ROK's 2.5G service out-performs leading 3G services

The first head-to-head consumer-based comparison between the existing mobile TV services in the UK has found Vodafone Live! to be the best service overall - but the biggest shock is ROK's 2.5G service coming in second place - ahead of big guns Orange 3G TV and 3. The tests were carried out by Strategy Analytics in June this year.

It was a particularly bad day at the office for Orange 3G TV - technical problems mean't that the service was unable to be evaluated fully - which saw it come bottom of the pile. But it's great news for ROK, the UK-based independent mobile technology and content developer. "It’s all due to the technology we’ve created" said Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of ROK "which allows for the delivery of multi-channel mobile TV to the mass-market right here, right now."

Vodafone's service came top in each category - usability, audio-visual quality, network performance and in particular,  content. ROK faired less well in the evaluation with content - something the company is addressing. "We’re learning all the time as to what content real, paying customers want to watch on their mobiles" said Bruce Renny, Marketing Director of ROK "and, as such, we are constantly addressing and updating our content offerings. Content is, actually, the easy part in all this  - it's the technology foundation blocks which are the hard part and that's where ROK believes we are best of breed."

However, it is still early days for mobile TV. Users taking part in the survey still had their reservations about TV on the go, with issues about the current crop of devices, in particular with screen size and battery life, while a number of users wondered when they would have the opportunity or need to watch TV out and about.

Strategy Analytics website

More ROK:
ROK extends mobile TV coverage to Microsoft handsets
ROK brings TV to Sony phones

iLane - send and receive email safely whilst driving

With our increasing reliance on data services, such as email, while we're on the move, it was only going to be a matter of time before manufacturers jumped in with a way of dealing with email hands-free in the car. And here it is - iLane - the world’s first hand-and-eyes free email solution for in-vehicle use.

iLane is a small device that interacts directly with existing Bluetooth-enabled handheld devices, allowing drivers to fully access their email in transit. iLane notifies the driver of incoming emails and other important information by reading a brief summary in a "natural sounding voice". The driver can then listen to the entire email message; forward or compose a response using verbal instructions. Phone calls, SMS messages, and a number of email attachment types can also be managed. In addition, filters can also be set to prioritise mail, so you don't get hassled with that latest sales pitch from an online store.

All sounds promising for the busy executive - but you'll have to wait a little longer to take advantage. As yet, we're still awaiting a confirmed UK launch date and price - we'll let you know as soon as we hear more.

Find out more

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Review: HTC's first branded smartphone - Tytn

The Propaganda

HTC have long been manufacturing Pocket PCs for other people, such as O2 and Orange, but the Tytn marks their first foray into this world under their own name. It's a tri-band 3G Pocket PC, with a full slideout QWERTY keyboard.

The Good

The design of the Tytn is superb. It feels solid but not heavy, and the keyboard slide is smooth, with a reassuring click when it's in place. The screen automatically switches from portrait to landscape on that magic 'click' and there are soft buttons in both views which make it easy to access key functions,if you don't fancy getting out the stylus for the touchscreen.

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As far as other controls are concerned, the Blackberry-esque scroll wheel on the side make it possible to do some things with one hand, although generally you'll find yourself using two.  There are also a number of shortcut keys including voice dial, video call (when will manufacturers accept that we Just Don't Do It?), the communication manager and a Start menu.

Connectivity is also good, as it supports Bluetooth, Wifi, EDGE and also has a mini USB connector port.  All are easy to access through the Communications Manager, which also controls your ActiveSync preferences.

You can view most Microsoft documents using the supplied software, including Excel, Word and Powerpoint, and it's also possible to view PDF files. Push email is easy to set up (once you've got your over-zealous firewall to allow Tytn access to your Outlook).

The Bad

There's always a trade off with these things about what their primary purpose is - is it a phone, or is it a pocket computer? In this case, the phone functions are slightly buried. Although there is a shortcut key to take you to the dialing screen, it's not possible to access SMS messages from here. For that, you go into your messages screen, which also holds your emails and MMS messages, and then have to switch between the relevant folders. 

The Tytn comes with a 2 megapixel camera on the back, which although comes with a lot of functions, including flash, video recording and resolution adjustment, it just doesn't take very good photos. It's one of two cameras, the other being situated on the front for video calling.

There is also a MicroSD slot included, but unlike many it comes with no cover. It would only take one quick trip to the seaside to screw this up for eternity (although it's not really a sea side type phone, unless you have serious work/life balance issues).

In our opinion

The HTC Tytn is a good Pocket PC. The design is attractive and ergonomic, and it's not heavy enough to make you walk with a limp when it's in your pocket. Functions wise, it's all fairly intuitive and doesn't take long to set up ready to go. However, whilst HTC believe it should appeal to business and leisure users alike, the business functionality and the common sense design means that it's unlikely to get in Paris Hilton's handbag any time soon. It's available on O2 for as little as £85 (with a pretty bulky contract) but will set you back over £500 SIM free. Ouch.

Covertec's unassuming smartphone cases

You don't see as many covers for mobile devices these days - whether that's because the devices are more sturdy or if it's because covers can look a bit naff, I don't know. But I suspect the latter. It doesn't hae to be so - there are some decent-looking cases around - like Covertec's new smartphones cases.

As the name suggests, these cases are custom-made for smartphones - designed to protect, cradle and snugly fit the contours of your smartphone, while leaving all functions easily accessible. And what's more - there's no dodgy logos or loud designs - just plain coloured leather with "saddlery" finish and a natural beige overstitching that embroiders each case. They also have some additional built-in storage, including pockets for credit and memory cards.

Currently available for use with the Sony Ericsson P series, iMate/XDAs/SPVs and the Nokia 9500, you can pick them up for around £30.

Find out more

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T-Mobile offers Push Email on MDA devices

  T-Mobile is offering a business-friendly Microsoft Push Email service on its range of MDA devices, including the MDA Pro, MDA Vario and MDA Compact II.

The Microsoft Push Email service from T-Mobile, which works over GPRS, 3G and Wi-Fi, will be available to customers using Microsoft Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2. Users will be automatically alerted for access to incoming email, which will be delivered directly from the customer’s Exchange Server as and when they arrive. Other security benefits of the new service include centrally controlled password protection - so that users have to unlock their device using a password, local data wipe - which enables you to decide how many incorrect logon attempts are permitted and remote wipe - which means that lost or stolen devices can be reset remotely over the web, removing company-sensitive data.

It's available to use via any of T-Mobile’s data tariffs. For full details of the service and pricing, visit the T-Mobile website.

T-Mobile

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Watch ROK TV on your mobile without data charges using Wi-Fi

I'm sure you're now aware of ROK. They've been offering TV to GPRS/EDGE mobiles for months now and more recently extended their coverage to a number of Windows-powered devices. We usually end our features on ROK's pricing with something like "...on top of that, you'll also have to pay your provider data charges too." But that might not be the caee anymore, with the news that you can now watch ROK TV via Wi-Fi on your Windows device.

Yes, instead of paying your operate the data charges you incur whilst watching ROK TV, you can now just pay your subscription (£9.99 per month for all channels or 99p per month for each one you choose) and watch live and on-demand mobile TV over Wi-Fi without worrying about the mounting data cost. Unless you're on a pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi connection obviously.

For more details on ROK, check out our recent feature on the service or take check the ROK website to find out if your phone or device is compatible with the service.

ROK TV website

More ROK:
ROK TV comes to Sony mobiles
ROK extends coverage to Microsoft handsets

Samsung's SGH-i320 "BlackBerry-beater" heads to Europe

Samsung has announced it is to bring the BlackBerry-like SGH-i320 Windows Mobile 5.0-based phone to Europe later this month.

Weighing in at 95g and measuring 11.1 x 5.9 x 1.2cm, the tri-band phone with EDGE support features a 2.2-inch, 240 x 320, 65,536-colour display, a QWERTY keyboard, a 1.3mp camera and Bluetooth. It supports Windows Mobile 5.0's push email, along with all the expected phone, media playback and recording facilities, along with a speakerphone. There's 120MB of memory on board, with a MicroSD slot for more.

As yet, prices and networks haven't been announced.

Samsung website

Via The Register

More smartphones:
O2 brings BlackBerry 7130 to the UK
First Windows 3G phones launched by HTC

Webaroo offline web search now available for Windows 5.0 devices

You may recall us featuring Webaroo a few weeks back - it's a program that lets you take areas of the web and browse it later, offline and at your convenience. Well, Webaroo is now available to use with smartphones featuring the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform, with the BenQ-Siemens P51 smartphone being the first device to be bundled with it when it launches later this year.

Webaroo means web searching without the need to connect at all. It features 'web packs' of content, covering a variety of subjects, such as world news, sport, major cities, Wikipedia and more - each containing thousands of relevant webpages identified by Webaroo's - sites that have broad coverage of a topic, but are fairly small in size.. In one simple step, you can also select and download your favorite web sites to save and search at your leisure by syncing your smartphone with a laptop.

The BenQ-Siemens P51 includes web packs covering Frankfurt, London, Paris, Milan, Taipei and Amsterdam, with more available free at the Webaroo web site.

More searching:
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Pico - search straight to your desktop

First Windows 3G phones launched by HTC

HTC has launched two 3G models under its own brand, having previously sold phones under the Qtek brand for some time and to network operators such as Orange and T-Mobile. The new models are claimed to be the world's first tri-band 3G Windows Mobile Pocket PC in the case of the TyTN and the MTeoR, the first 3G Smartphone.

The TyTN is a Tri-band 3G model with GSM, GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a mini-USB port. It features push email with Windows Mobile 5.0, internet browsing, synchronisation with Microsoft Outlook Calendar, Contacts and email, and the ability to work on applications in the Microsoft Office suite as well as viewing PDFs.

It also features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 2.8-inch colour display with touch-screen, jog wheel for one-hand operation, 2MP camera plus a second camera for video telephony.

The MTeoR, claimed to be the world's first 3G Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone is similar in looks to the C600 the company designs for Orange. With a 2.2-ihc screen, it features Windows Mobile 5.0 Direct Push technology for immediate synchronisation of email, calendar and notes plus document viewers for PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint and a 1.3MP camera.

Except to see both devices on sale from July. Prices to be confirmed.

HTC website

Via The Register

More smartphones:
Mio A701 smartphone
HTC STRTrk smartphone with Windows Mobile 5.0 launches in the UK

Palm users get free World Cup software

Confused about who's playing who and when? Need information about the starting line-ups and stadia? If you have a Palm device, you can take advantage of some free software to keep you updated with the all the latest news and results from the tournament.

You can download Palm's "Football 2006" application free from the Palm website. Once installed , you can access updates on match results and get the latest information about participating countries, groups, teams, matches and stadiums. Handheld-computer users need a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi wireless connection, while Treo smartphone users can access the data using their web browser and phone network. The software also can also be set to remind you when matches are about to begin.

And don't forget, for all the latest news as it happens, along with a look at the lighter side of the competition, check out the excellent Who Ate All The Bratwurst.

Download the free software from the Palm website

More World Cup:
FIFA and Yahoo! offer free World Cup highlights on the web
Fanimal - the World Cup ranting sausage

O2 brings BlackBerry 7130 to the UK

O2 has announced it is the first operator to bring BlackBerry 7130 series to the UK market.

The 7130g features a 312MHz Intel processor, with 64MB of flash memory and 16MB of SRAM. It has the 'two letter, one key' SureType QWERTY keypad, first seen on the 7000 series. This quad-band device has Bluetooth on board and there's EDGE support.

Weighing in at around 120g, makers Research In Motion claim it will provide three hours' talk time and up to eight days' operation in stand-by. If you sign up to a contract with O2, you can pick it up for free.

O2 website

Via The Register

More Blackberry:
3G BlackBerry set for the UK?
T-Mobile launches BlackBerry 8700g

FIFA World Cup 2006 for PDA

Deep down, all football fans are nerds. We can't simply enjoy a kick around for 90 minutes - we need to know everything from how many corners and free kicks each team has had to what the goalie had for his pre-match meal. It's probably the fault of those Panini albums we all had as kids. Thing is, we can now do it in a more hi-tech way than buying packs of stickers, we can download programs for out PDAs.

FIFA World Cup 2006 from Sharko should be enough for any "statto". It's a tool for compiling statistics of matches through both the qualifying rounds and final stages of the competition. All facts are available from the 6 continental zones, with details of the groups in each zone - and all matches. Details of the final stages are already inputted and ready for the start of the competition.

And if that's not enough, there's even details of the last three competitions available in the "History" section, so you can be the "know all" in the pub with just a glance of your PDA screen.

Available for any Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC or Pocket PC Phone edition, you can download the application for around $3.

And if you still want more, don't forget, you can get a daily dose of everything World Cup from Who Ate All The Bratwurst.

Find out more

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Averatec unveils 3G UMPC

Speculation over the UMPC reached fever pitch in the run-up to CeBIT, then subsided a bit when everyone realised it wasn't the technology's equivalent of the second coming. That doesn't mean they're not still of interest - this new UMPC by Averatec certainly caught our eye.

This handheld Windows XP Home Edition-based machine, known as the AHI, has a keyboard that sits underneath a slide-out 5 inch, 1,280 x 1,204 touch-sensitive screen. It's based on an Intel Celeron M ultra-low voltage processor with at least 512MB of memory.

The AHI is expected to contain a 30GB hard drive, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 10/100Mbps Ethernet, 56Kbps modem and integrated 3G mobile phone connectivity. Averatec said the device will also feature a GPS receiver and a 2MP digital camera.

The company indicated the AHI will be available in a range of configurations in black and silver, priced between £346 - £623.

Averatec website

More UMPC:
Samsung Q1 UMPC to ship at £800
ECS launches the H70 Ultra-Mobile PC

Fujitsu shows UMPC with fold-out keyboard

The shape of things to come? Fujitsu are currently showing off some concepts for portable computing at Milan's Triennale di Milano - with their idea of how an ultra-mobile PC should look certainly drawing attention.

A long way from Samsung's Q1, rather than dispense with the traditional keyboard, Fujitsu have kept it, but made it compact and portable - keeping the size down to the equivalent of a CD case.

It's certainly a brave move, but one which will undoubtedly carry favour with the traditionalists and those of us who feel more comfortable with a keyboard as opposed to a stylus. Saying that, it does also limit your portable options - it's not something you can interact with easily whilst walking down a street or standing on a platform waiting for a train.

If you want to see it for yourself, along with other prototype Fujitsu designs, you'll have to head to Milan, where they're on display as part of a Japanese Design exhibition all this week.

Triennale di Milano http://www.triennale.it/

Via The Register

More Fujitsu:
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Fujitsu's Pocket LOOX C550

Samsung Q1 UMPC to ship at £800

UK mobile device retailer Expansys has become the first company in the UK to begin taking orders for the most talked-about device of the recent CeBIT - Samsung's Q1 ultra-mobile PC.

The 22.8 x 14 x 2.7cm Samsung Q1 features a 7-inch, 800 x 480 LCD and runs on a 900MHz ultra-low voltage Celeron M processor and an Intel 915GMS chipset, with 512MB of 400MHz DDR 2 SDRAM and a 40GB, 1.8in hard drive. There's also an integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and 10/100Mbps Ethernet networking, plus Bluetooth 2.0 and two USB 2.0 ports.

The device also includes SRS' TruSurround sound 3D audio system, operating through the device's twin speakers and Windows Media Player 10 with its wide array of supported audio and video formats, along with  Samsung's own instant-on media playback software. There's also a built-in GPS receiver and navigation software. Battery life is around 3.5 hours, according to Samsung.

Expansys expect the £800 machine to ship around the start of June.

Samsung website

Via The Register

More Samsung:
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Samsung at CeBIT 2006

3G BlackBerry set for the UK?

Research in Motion (RIM) looks set to introduce a 3G version of the BlackBerry to the UK in the shape of the 8707v. Whether there's any great benefit to a 3G BlackBerry is open to question - with flash storage remaining at 64MB, there's nowhere to keep your large downloads anyway. We don't know yet either whether users will be able to harness the 3G modem in the device to surf the web on ther laptops.

The 8707v is based on a 312MHz Intel PXA901 processor with 16MB of SRAM. In addition to 3G connectivity, the handset offers quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS operation - it's not yet clear if there is EDGE support. The 3G modem seems to be used exclusively for data. There is also a 320 x 240, 65,635-colour display, Bluetooth 2.0 on board and a battery which offers up to five hours' talk time.

According to a report on The Register,the 8707v is likely to feature on the Vodafone network first, though we're guessing that T-Mobile might just beat them to it.

RIM website

Via The Register

More BlackBerry:
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BlackBerry is cool - official

Make your PDA go with a Fizz

Rather than carrying around a well-thumbed travel guide when you go abroad, you could store all the information you might need on your PDA or smartphone if you install Fizz Traveller.

It doesn't tell you the friendliest bars or the best places to eat, but it does offer up all the essential travel information you might need to hand. For example, you'll have time and weather information for over 58,000 cities worldwide. You can choose your six favourite cities to automatically receive time and weather information, including minimum and maximum temperatures, percentage precipitation, forecast and satellite maps, as well as 5 day and 2 day forecasts. Traveller also gives details of airport delays for the closest airports to your chosen city - where the delays are caused by weather.

In addition, there's daily updated currency rates and conversions capabilities, including weight, length, area and speed, as well as clothing and shoes sizes. Ansd there's alarm functionality and the ability to compile to-do lists and add notes on the go.

Traveller supports all screen resolutions (QVGA, square screen devices and landscape/portrait on Pocket PCs) and provides Windows 5 mobile support.

It's available now for around $20 (around £11).

More travel companions:
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Cebit 2006: ECS launches the H70 Ultra-Mobile PC

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) has launched the H70 tablet at CeBIT 2006 - the latest in a succession of newly-unveiled UMPCs - or Origami devices if you prefer.

Powered by a choice of either the Intel Pentium M ULV 1GHZ FSB 400MHZ with a 2MB L2 on-die cache or an Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHZ, FSB 400MHZ processor with a 512 KB L2 on-die cache, the H70 features a  7-inch WVGA TFT LCD touchscreen display and a "slip proof" to stop you dropping your new toy on the move.

It has both Bluetooth and WiFi along with 'grab and go' docking for maximum connectivity. There's also a 1.3MP camera; built-in speakers and microphone; a high definition audio codec and an integrated 3-in-1 card reader. Based on the Intel Centrino mobile platform, the ECS H70 tablet combines connectivity with power saving technology - its ultra low voltage CPU provides both performance and long battery life without any overheating. DDRII memory technology more than doubles the effective data rate of the frontside bus delivering 30 percent better performance than DDRI while consuming less power and creating less heat even though it operates at a higher transfer rate.

The H70 will be available in the second quarter of 2006 - no details of price as yet.

More portable devices:
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CeBIT 2006 : Origami unveiled - the Samsung Q1

Cebit 2006: Mio A701 smartphone

Mio used Cebit to show off some new sat nav products, the highlight of which was the Mio A701, which combines phone, office and satelite navigation into one very smart-looking device.

The A701 is a smartphone with a 2.7-inch TFT touchscreen, running on Windows Mobile 5.0 and utilising a 520MHz Intel processor. It also features Bluetooth 1.2, a 1.3MP camera and a navigation system with SiRFstar III GPS receiver. There's 192MB of internal memory, but an SD/MMC memory card slot can boost that to 2GB.

The tri-band GSM/GPRS phone offers up to 4 hours talktime and up to 200 hours standby, along with simultaneous calling and navigation when using MioMap v2, a pedestrian mode to help you explore cities without losing track, one touch calling of points of interest (restaurants, cinemas etc) and in case you do get lost, the ability to text your GPS co-ordinates.

The Mio A701 should retail for around £450 with the sat-nav software installed and around £380 without.

More sat-nav:
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CeBIT 2006 : Origami unveiled - the Samsung Q1

So, is this the much-hyped Origami device? It would seem so. Well almost - Origami is a type of portable device, not one specific machine. And one of the first off the blocks in this category is Samsung's Q1, a new portable media device developed in conjunction with Intel and Microsoft, combining PDA, music player, GPS, tablet PC and storage device in one rather smart little box.

Weighing just 779g and only 24.5mm deep, the Q1 features a 7-inch wide 800 x 480 resolution LCD touch screen, a 40GB drive and 512MB RAM. It offers the full functionality of a conventional notebook PC, operating with an Intel Celeron M or Pentium M processor and the Windows XP tablet operating system. Bluetooth and LAN wireless connectivity and optional GPS navigation will keep you connected on the move and there's even a twin array mic for making cheapie VoIP calls.

But the selling point is that it's more than a PC. Samsung's AVS Multimedia feature means you can enjoy your movies, photos and music at the touch of a button, without troubling windows - and there's support for all multimedia formats. The three button pad combined with an eight way stick should make the machine of interest to games developers too. The Q1 has been unveiled at Cebit today - expect to hear much more on this and Origami in the coming weeks. No details on either price or availability as yet, we'll keep you posted.

More Samsung: CeBIT 2006: Samsung's higlights including ten mega pixel camera phone

Samsung's 8GB SGH-i310 phone

WiPOQ set to hit the UK

Remember the WiPOQ? We previewed this mobile messaging gadget around a year a go. Well, after quite a wait, it looks like a release for the UK is now imminment.

It's a compact (at just 17mm thick) device with a full qwerty keyboard, a dedicated line of numeric keys and a 65k colour screen that's optimised to send email (with attachments) or for messaging. It can also be used for storing contacts, updating your calendar, surfing the web or even playing games. Ideal if you don't have a BlackBerry or don't want to carry round a larger device.  It's a SIM-free device, meaning you don't have to sign up to a contract to use it - instead WiPOQ 'borrows' connectivity from your mobile phone via bluetooth.

We've been informed that it's imminent, but as yet we have no exact date, nor do we have a definite price. We'll keep you posted on both.

Find out more

More portable devices:
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3GSM 2006: Fujitsu Siemens launches Pocket LOOX T series

It's a hard life for a businessman on the move, having to drag around all the technology for work and play, which is probably why integrated solutions are growing ever more popular. Another challenger to the Blackberry's dominance of the market has been launched at the 3GSM in the form of the Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX T Series.

The T series models, which feature a QWERTY keyboard and a clear TFT display, operate as fully-featured mobile phones. But in addition, with Microsoft Windows Mobile™ 5.0 software and UMTS functionality, you can access 'Push' email plus your appointment calendar and other familiar Microsoft Office applications on the go. And if you have some leisure time, there's an SD I/O / MMC slot to store your favourite MP3s and a 2MP auto-focus camera on the T830 model (pictured) to snap passing traffic.

The T series handhelds have integrated 802.11b/g wireless LAN with VoIP capability and like the N series, all models feature an integrated GPS receiver so you don't get lost.

Available from July, the T series should retail for around €700 (around £480).

More handhelds:
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Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX N series

Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX C550

If you thought that the smartphone had kliled off the PDA think again. There are still new models being launched, admittedly though most are aimed at the enterprise space rather than us consumers. For example take Fujitsu Siemens which has just unveiled the Pocket LOOX C550, a lightweight handheld that's being introduced as a successor to its LOOX 700 range of models.

Like most PDAs these days it is anorexically skinny and rather light. FS also claims it is ideal for outdoor use too thanks to its VGA display and illuminated keypad. It is powered by an Intel PXA270 processor and runs with Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Premium Edition, which retains all data even if the battery is dead.  Connectivity is via wireless LAN, IrDA or Bluetooth and there's an SD I/O / MMC slot for additional data storage ro adding extra facilities.

You should see the Pocket LOOX C550 in the shops around mid-March from £245 (excluding VAT).

More pocket PCs:
Pocket LOOX N500
iMate JAM pocket PC

Predictive handwriting for your mobile

Ever own a Palm? I had one a few years back, which was fun at the time, but I could never get my head round the handwriting on the screen. Or maybe it was my strange way of writing. Anyway, the method is still around, with Zi's Decuma refining the method and adding a predictive function to speed things along on your mobile device.

Decuma Version 4 is pen-input software which, along with predictive, features word completion and increased personalisation to your handwriting. It also recognises 31 languages. The system is expressly designed for small devices such as mobile phones and portable gaming consoles. Decuma recognises letters in upper and lower cases, numbers, symbols and punctuation, and even enables users to text in two languages at the same time without having to switch input modes.

Nice idea, but with texting now such a big part of our culture, can you really see it catching on?

More for your mobile:
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