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April 28, 2008

Tessera’s OptiML Zoom gets cameraphones 3x closer without moving parts

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 5:47 pm

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Oh sure, those with no shame whatsoever can snag a totally sketchy LV 2008 with an attachable zoom lens, but those of us with a shred of dignity are waiting on something better. Enter Tessera Technologies, which is today announcing that its OptiML Zoom solution is available for licensing. Said innovation brings a unique lens design and specialized algorithms to replace "traditional mechanical zoom capabilities," giving equipped cameraphones 3x optical zoom capabilities in a "compact camera module without moving parts." Hailed as the industry's first non-mechanical optical zoom solution, it promises to not degrade images the way digital zoom does, and while it's eager to see handset OEMs pick up the tech and integrate it into forthcoming mobiles, we've yet to hear of any big players jumping on board.

[Via PhoneScoop]
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Foxconn wins 3G iPhone contract, 3 million units shipping in June?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Thomas Ricker @ 7:59 am

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Need more unsubstantiated evidence that the 3G iPhone is near. Good, the Chinese language Commercial Times is quoting sources claiming that Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) -- the maker of the 1st gen iPhone -- is ramping up 3G iPhone assembly by "the end of May" to ship 3 million units in June. It's expected to produce some 24-25 million units before the product reaches end of life. If those numbers are true then Apple had better be prepared for a proper global launch without those pesky revenue sharing schemes seen holding back world-wide uptake.
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Nokia’s “Beautiful to use” 6600 slide, fold and 3600 slide

Filed under: Uncategorized — Thomas Ricker @ 6:39 am

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Nokia just announced a trio of "Beautiful to use" Nokia handsets with its Nokia 6600 slide, 6600 fold, and 3600 slide. The €250 6600 fold is said to smoothly arc open with the press of a button to reveal a 2.13-inch OLED display sporting 16 million colors. It also features tap commands. When off, a double-tap of the monolithic cover reveals the time, messages and missed calls. A double-tap also snoozes alerts and silences or rejects incoming phone calls. The €275 6600 slide (pictured left) features the same tap technology but bumps the digital camera up from 2 to 3.2 megapixels with a 2.2-inch QVGA display based on LCD tech, presumably. The 3600 slide offers the same camera with built-in background noise cancellation -- a first for a Nokia handset -- for a respectable €175. All three ship in Q3.

Gallery: Nokia's "Beautiful to use" 6600 slide, fold and 3600 slide


Read -- Press Release
Read -- Promotional site
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April 27, 2008

RIM developing “Apple Killer” touchscreen BlackBerry?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ryan Block @ 1:35 pm

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The times has a verbose 2,000 word piece about the high stakes world of high-end cellphone manufacturers (no way!), specifically centered around RIM's post-iPhone trials and tribulations. Besides a bit of vague lip service paid to the 9000 series, they're claiming that two 3rd party developers -- no sources cited -- leaked that RIM has a skunkworks product dubbed "AK" (which stands for "Apple Killer"), and that apparently it'll be touchscreen. And then comes the tub-thumping money shot from co-CEO Mike Lazaridis: "I couldn't type on [the iPhone] and I still can't type on it, and a lot of my friends can't type on it. It's hard to type on a piece of glass." Right, until you guys decide to do one of your own -- these executive types are so transparent they might as well just be up front.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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April 26, 2008

Apple looking to Immersion for haptic technology on iPhone?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 1:13 pm

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Immersion, the same folks responsible for adding haptic technology (force feedback from touch panels, pretty much) in a fleet of Nokia handsets, could be looking to do the same with Cupertino's one and only. While VibeTonz isn't specifically mentioned by name, a recent report (which should certainly be filed as a rumor for the time being) is suggesting that bigwigs from both outfits are in ongoing meetings "over licensing and implementation issues of iPhone haptics." Interestingly enough, this news is flowing hot on the heels of Immersion appointing Clent Richardson as president and CEO; if that name rings a bell, he previously spent five years pretty high up the ladder at Apple. Of course, all the signs pointing to yes doesn't mean anything in and of itself, so we'll just twiddle our thumbs a bit longer and hope to have some feedback for 'em soon enough.

[Thanks, Chris]

Read - Rumors of Immersion bringing haptics to iPhone
Read - Clent Richardson becomes president / CEO of Immersion
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April 25, 2008

Blackberry 9000 release rumors swirl

Filed under: Uncategorized — Nilay Patel @ 6:22 pm

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Let's preface this by saying that we honestly have no idea what's going on with the hot BlackBerry 9000, but Fortune is reporting that it's delayed due to either a) AT&T concerns over call quality; b) AT&T concerns over launching a 3G Blackberry and the 3G iPhone at the same time or; c) or something else entirely. That's news to our homeboy Boy Genius, who thinks Fortune needs to start double-checking its model numbers and code names before it starts rumor-mongering, and points out that he's been on top of power-management-related 9000 delays for a while now. Testy! We're a little more inclined to trust BGR on this stuff -- the man's got a point when he says he's gotten pre-release versions of every RIM device since the Pearl 8100, and if the 9000's faster processor and 3G are indeed causing power problems, he's likely to notice. Let's just hope this all gets sorted soon -- we're ready to move on up.

Read - Fortune: "Delay seen for RIM's new Blackberry"
Read - BGR: "Cleaning up those BlackBerry rumors"
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The second-gen iPhone: 3G, GPS, only slightly thicker

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ryan Block @ 4:26 pm

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So we've got it on authority that the second-gen iPhone is already well into testing, and numerous units are floating around in super secret pockets. A trusted source got a chance to check one out, here's what we've heard.
  • The first thing people will notice: the 2nd gen iPhone will be about the same size and shape as the first gen.
  • It will, of course, have 3G. And proper GPS!
  • The most noticeable physical difference is back of the phone is no longer metal -- the whole thing is glossy black, from top to bottom. The volume buttons are now chrome.
  • Because it's got a little less metal to deal with, it doesn't have quite as many angular edges. The battery is (still) not removable.
  • The phone itself will be slightly thicker than the first gen device.
  • The headphone jack will no longer be recessed, and will finally be flush with the body.
  • The device itself uses roughly the same size and resolution screen as the first generation product.
  • No solid word on battery life or storage capacity.
It could ship (or be introduced) as early as July -- but it's worth noting that none of this is necessarily finalized, and any of it could change between now and its introduction. You really never know with Apple!

[Image via iPod Observer]
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Rumored Prada II specs surface in purported leaked press release

Filed under: Uncategorized — Donald Melanson @ 2:29 pm

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It looks like those that have been holding out for a new and improved Prada phone from LG could soon be getting their fix, at least if a purported leaked press release is to be believed. According to Taiwan's ePrice, the Prada II is supposedly on track for a release in the fourth quarter of 2008, with it bringing with it a whole host of upgrades that some may say sound suspiciously like a wish list. That includes quad-band GSM, WCDMA 900/2100, and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity, along with a 5-megapixel camera (with support for video calls), a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, TV-out, and a microSD card slot. Oh, and a slide-out QWERTY keypad. Needless to say, while we certainly wouldn't bet against a Prada II of some sort coming out this year, it's probably best not to get your hopes up too much about each and every one of those specs just yet.

[Via Unwired View]
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8GB iPhone and iPod touch reach end-of-life, at least in the UK

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joshua Topolsky @ 10:05 am

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Conspiracy theorists and Mac rumor-mongerers, start your engines. According to an internal O2 memo we've received, stock of both the 8GB iPod touch and iPhone have run their courses, and have been EOL'd (at least in the UK). The brief letter sent out yesterday evening states that, "Due to the highly successful sales of the Apple 8GB I-Phone [sic], supply chain have today run out of stock & will not be replenishing stock of this product as it has now gone to end of life." Whether this is due to the recent price cuts, the rumored upcoming 2nd generation iPhone, or just a sign that Apple is moving towards higher capacity devices is anyone's guess. All we know is that soon the 8GB iPhone -- at least in the UK -- will become as rare and precious as the Pygmy Three-toed Sloth.

[Via The Register; Thanks Callum M.]
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Mexican attaché attempts to make off with White House BlackBerrys

Filed under: Uncategorized — Darren Murph @ 9:01 am

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We're a bit frightened by the fact that high-ranking political officials are told to leave their BlackBerrys outside in an unguarded basket during high-level meetings (really, it's "common practice"), but nevertheless, one chap who tried to take advantage of the situation didn't quite make it out undiscovered. During a recent political meetup in New Orleans, a Mexican press attaché managed to slip a half dozen or so BlackBerrys into his pocket before darting to the airport with visions of black market markups in his head. Before he could exit the country, however, Secret Service had tracked him down after catching him via surveillance footage. As it stands, the responsible individual has been fired from his post, but there's been no word on whether the US will take any further actions. Reevaluating the whole "leaving them out in the open" practice may be a good start -- just sayin'.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]
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