Number port stats advocate curious trends in iPhone 3G launch
July 23, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Sure, Apple alleges to have flipped over a million iPhone 3Gs at this point, but what does that mean The devil’s in the details, as always; yes, true, the first one took 74 days to reach that same milestone, but it was available in less than one-twentieth the number of countries and an even smaller fraction of carriers. Hell, the very definition of “sale” is under scrutiny here, with some suggesting that Apple’s making reference to the number of phones it’s sold to its carrier partners, not end users — a metric that would make sense from Cupertino’s perspective since Apple’s payday technically ends there. We’ve some metrics on hand here that paint an interesting picture of the iPhone 3G launch that might be a little different than what you expect; head on over to Engadget Mobile for the scoop.
Oppo concepts foreshadow new gaming handhelds
July 22, 2008
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Generally talking, Oppo has stuck to its bread-and-butter: decently stylish PMPs and a well-received family of upscaling DVD players, respectively. Now, however, we’re seeing a trio of concepts which allude to a future unit (or three) boasting gaming functionality. Unfortunately, details beyond that are few and far between, and we’re not even certain of their place of origin. In other words, don’t bet on seeing these hit shelves in the foreseeable future, but keep your fingers crossed that they do anyway.
[Thanks, Raz]
Method devised for pwning first-gen iPhones running 2.0 via Windows
July 21, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Feeling a little left out after yesterday’s Mac-based Pwnage Tool festivities, Windows users Fret not, because the ever-vigilant, ever-studious hacking community has managed to come up with a series of steps to get you back on your feet again with a fully pwned first-gen handset. The whole shebang isn’t necessarily for the most casual jailbreakers — let’s just say it isn’t quite as straightforward as the Mac procedure yet — but it’ll allegedly get you going if you’re starting with an iPhone running 1.1.4 (there are additional steps if you jumped the gun on 2.0, you impatient son of a gun, you — think of it as penance). As always, exercise extreme caution, comprehend that this could cause your iPhone to spontaneously combust into a useless pile of metal, plastic, and ash, and let us know how it goes in comments.
[Thanks, Z-]
Bandai boldly introduces Smart Berry: the portable chat handheld for girls
July 20, 2008
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
We’re guessing the naming scheme here was quite intentional, though we’ll be the first to state Bandai’s Smart Berry has very, very little in common with RIM’s stockpile of handsets. Nevertheless, this “mobile communicator” joins the small crowd of other tween-centric chat handhelds with wireless abilities that enable four of these things to speak to one another “for email, chat and on the internet games within a 10-meter diameter.” For whatever reason, messages are limited to 64 characters (and you thought SMS was bad…), and in case that little tidbit grows increasingly frustrating, there’s a virtual pet on board to take your mind to a more blissful place. Sure, we can see younger gals being entertained by this for a few weeks or so, but the 10,290 ($96) price tag just seems a bit outrageous, particularly when you consider the lack of a color screen. Yeah, for real.
Electro Box’s miShake PMP enjoys being agitated
July 19, 2008
Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
It’s not that Electro Box’s miShake PMP looks especially like anything else we’ve seen, but it sure takes an awful lot of cues from, shall we state, more popular brands. We won’t even bother explaining the miShake name, but what’s important to note is the 2.4-inch touchscreen, “explosive external loudspeaker,” 4GB of internal memory, miniSD expansion slot and support for a multitude of audio / video file formats. Oh, and don’t even bother fiddling through that questionable user interface to change tracks — just give it a good jerk (you know, like Sony’s Shake control) to hear the next jam start abruptly. So much merriment for just 119.95 ($240).
[Via Pocket-lint]
T-Mobile Germany states sipgate makes jailbreaking too attractive
July 18, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Alright, can someone help us out with a little primer on German law here California-based sipgate offers up a VoIP client for the iPhone that — for the moment, anyway — requires a jailbroken handset to run. It goes about its business on WiFi airwaves, so from the carrier’s perspective, no harm, no foul, right Not so much. T-Mobile Germany takes issue with the app, claiming that it’s enticing its iPhone users to jailbreak — a violation of its contract terms. Furthermore, the contract disallows VoIP of any kind, WiFI or otherwise, which pretty much makes sipgate public enemy number one in T-Mob’s eyes. They’ve gone ahead and sent out a nasty little cease ‘n desist, which sipgate says it plans to fight all the way through the court system if that’s how T-Mobile wants to roll; meanwhile, it’s still providing service and says that “for the time being [its] users are safe.” Fight the good fight, guys.
[Via TUAW]
Meizu M8 finally launching in August
July 17, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
The saga of the Meizu M8 is one of the more pleasing dramas in the phone biz these days, owing partly to the endless delays and tweaks, allowed — but owing much more to the truly masterful ripping of the iPhone’s industrial design. Unfortunately, there’s been very little actual bite to follow up the bark coming out of the Meizu camp, and it looks like we might get a real taste of this thing for the first time as soon as next month. A post on Meizu’s website, seemingly from none other than CEO J. Wong himself, claims that a first cut of the M8 will arrive next month — along with plenty more pictures and details — but it’ll be a somewhat neutered rendition that features just 128MB of RAM and zero flash. October will bring the real deal, a 256MB baddie that rocks 8GB of storage for 2180 yuan, which works out to about $320. Meanwhile, photos have surfaced of the latest prototype floating around Meizu’s labs, looking both as slick and as litigation-prone as ever. Bring these stateside, Mr. Wong, and we’ll be the very first to sign up — just don’t be surprised if Apple is right behind us.
[Via Electronista]
- August for 128MB model, October for 256MB / 8GB
- Prototype M8 in the wild
BlackBerry Bold reviewed, scratched
July 16, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Boy Genius has landed a BlackBerry Bold — RIM’s big, splashy push into the brave new world of HSDPA — in production hardware trim, and it looks like the rougher users out there might need a quick lesson in fragile handling if they want to get in on the action when it launches around the world in the next few weeks. The screen is said to be completely beautiful (as it should be at 480 x 320), and there’s a much improved browser to take advantage of that extra real estate; unfortunately, the whole package apparently scratches up with ridiculous ease, so it’s anybody’s guess just how long you’ll be able to actually see the screen before it’s awash in damage. Just remember: keys in one pocket, BlackBerry in the other. Interested parties would do themselves a favor by clicking through to the full review — the cat knows his BlackBerrys, and he’s really gone to town this time around.
Fujitsu to launch FLEPia color e-ink e-books in the fall
July 15, 2008
Filed under: Handhelds
We first saw Fujitsu’s FLEPia e-books with the company’s color e-ink tech over a year ago, but rumor has it they’re finally getting close to launch. That’s the word according to Nikkei, which states that the A4-sized readers won’t feature an integrated backlight, but still be able to run for up to 50 hours on a single charge. The WiFi-capable unit is said to cost 100,000 ($941), but other specs are still up in the air — hopefully they’ll be changing the name as well.
[Via CrunchGear; warning, read link requires subscription]
iPhone 3G and firmware 2.0: the day after
July 14, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
So many of you’re probably still in your jammies, reveling in the afterglow of yesterday’s buy, repeatedly opening Maps on your glossy new iPhone 3G and watching in exaggerated wonderment as your location is determined with frightening speed and accuracy. Others might be standing in a line snaking hundreds of bodies long into your friendly local Apple Store, reading this post from the comfort of your Motorola RAZR V3 and realizing that these are some of the last moments you’ll be using a physical keypad. Still others are bemused by the fuss — but whatever your stance on the phone, it’s pretty hard to ignore the buzz that’s floating around in the aftermath of day zero. Here are some of the goings-on we’re tracking:
- The masses of humanity continue to collect. Massive stock shortages don’t seem to be an issue (yet), but patience is not a virtue we hold dear to our hearts, so we really can’t blame these people.
- Some buyers are reporting a yellow tint to their screens — probably not enough to notice without another unit side-by-side for comparison, but real nonetheless. Of course, the first iPhone suffered from the occasional crappy backlight, bum touchscreen, or negative black, so we wouldn’t be surprised if a few lame displays made it out of the factory floor for this model as well; we’re following up with Apple on this and we should have more for you later this day.
- We took the iPhone 3G on a decent drive around New York, and found its tracking to be impeccable. In a situation where we might have veered off the path following Google Maps directions, the blue blip kept us right on track. Despite what you’ve read (we’re looking at you, Mr. Pogue), we see no technical reason that the aGPS can’t provide turn-by-turn directions, provided there’s software to take advantage of it.
- There are some complaints floating around about 3G reception, but it’s been just fine on our review units around the world so far. How’s it treating you out in [your location here]
- iphone-dev has a video up of BootNeuter going about its business on a first-gen iPhone that’s been upgraded to firmware 2.0, and the process is looking as slick and painless as ever. Unlockers who haven’t shelled out for the 3G, commence your salivating.
- MobileMe seems like it’s up for the moment, but don’t breathe too hard lest you bring the whole thing down again.
Update: We just spoke with Bob Borchers, senior director of product marketing for the iPhone, and he had some very interesting info regarding the “yellow screen” phenomenon we’ve been hearing about. According to Bob (and Apple), the screen’s color temperature has been purposely altered on the new iPhone to produce warmer, more natural tones, sharper images, and deeper blacks. The company states that 1st gen iPhone screens appeared colder and less defined, and they made some adjustments for the new models. In our view, what he says is right on — the screens do look better on the iPhone 3G versus the older variety. What do you guys think
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