Get an iPhone on the Cheap

British Voice over IP vendor Truphone has come up with a clever way to get hold of an IPhone on the cheap:Â Buy an iPod touch MP3 player and add software to turn it into a phone.

The two devices are remarkably similar to one another in many features except price. Amazon UK sells the 8GB iPod touch for £155 ($226), while an unlocked 8GB iPhone will set a determined buyer back at least £400 ($584), or a smaller sum plus a lengthy phone contract and around £30 per month. What the extra money buys is the iPhone's GSM phone and UMTS/HSDPA hardware.

However, Truphone noticed that the most recent version of the touch still has Wi-Fi, which is enough for the company's free VoIP software to route calls via that interface to its Internet traffic centre, and then on to recipients. Once the app is loaded, a virtual keypad is used to dial the desired number; the only other addition needed is a microphone.

Voice recipients can be anyone running the same Truphone software on an iPod touch, users running Truphone on other platforms (the software debuted on Nokia/Symbian), or Google Talk running on a PC.

The best part is that not only is the software free, so are the calls in these scenarios. Truphone looks to make its money back by persuading touch users to call conventional phones or mobiles, for which the company charges.

Truphone said it planned to introduce new features in the near future, including the ability to phone and IM Skype and MSN VoIP users, and to check and set Twitter and Facebook. This hints that the user base for the software is probably the occasionally phone user who doesn't want to pay the heavy premium for the iPhone's connectivity.

Screenshots of the iPod touch software can be found on the company's website, as can a download of the app itself. Apple doesn't seem to feel threatened by the development, and is offering the software direct from iTunes. A version for the IPhone can also be loaded from this location, which might, you'd assume, upset the company's mobile network partners more.

Truphone 4.0 was reviewed in-depth by Techworld last summer.

SOURCE:pcworld.com
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Intel Hopes to Bring Free Energy to Mobile Devices

Intel on Friday said it is researching technology to harvest free energy from the environment, which could lead to devices such as mobile phones running for indefinite periods without recharging.


The company is working on tiny sensors that can capture energy from sources such as sunlight and body heat. In the future, such energy could be used to power personal electronic devices such as cell phones.

There are already watches available that are powered by body heat, as well as prototype smartphones with display screens that double as solar cells, said Justin Rattner, chief technology officer at Intel, during a press event. Intel is also looking at powering a mobile phone by harvesting the energy the user generates by moving the phone's trackball. The radiation of cell phone or TV signals might also be used to power devices.

"Wouldn't it be nice if, in fact, you were able to go almost indefinitely without charging the battery, if you were able to scavenge enough free energy from the environment?" Rattner said.

Intel's initial efforts revolve around the sensors, which could power themselves using free energy. Recharging themselves by scavenging free energy allows the sensors to continuously record and transmit readings over wireless networks, without any human involvement.

For example, an accelerometer buried in the wall of a building could automatically recharge itself by harvesting the energy of radiation from a cell phone tower, allowing it to continuously take and transmit readings of the building's movement.

"It wouldn't have any batteries, you wouldn't have to come out and service them, and you don't have to run any power. They are completely self-contained, and most importantly, self-powered as a result of scavenging energy from the environment," Rattner said.

Intel has also designed a self-charging neural implant that can monitor bodily functions and transmit its readings wirelessly, Rattner said.

"I never have to ... come along with some sort of external fixture and have to recharge this. These become ... install-and-forget systems, because they can scavenge energy from the environment and power themselves up," Rattner said.

Intel has not marketed such a sensor yet, as its research is still ongoing, Rattner said. Sensors use just a fraction of the power demanded by typical mobile devices, and it may take a while before the energy-harvesting technology can power larger items.

For now, the research is intended to provide a broader view of energy harvesting, and many Intel product groups are showing interest in it.

"We haven't been driving it as an Intel product; it's not on anyone's road map at this point. It's part of our broader effort in both sensors and energy harvesting," Rattner said.

SOURCE:pcworld.com

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Nokia Cuts Outlook Again

After warning less than a month ago that the worldwide handset market would do worse than expected this year and next, Nokia on Thursday revised down its expectations again.


It joins a host of other companies and experts who say that the mobile-phone industry, which until recently was expected to be a rare bright spot in an otherwise dark economic outlook, will be hard hit.

In mid-November, Nokia said that collectively mobile-phone makers would sell 1.24 billion phones in 2008, rather than its earlier estimate of 1.26 billion. Now, Nokia says fourth-quarter sales will be lower than expected, dragging down the year's sales even lower.

Nokia did not offer a new overall sales figure for 2008, nor could it confirm its prior expectation that it would claim 38 percent of the market for the fourth quarter this year. That's the same share Nokia had in the third quarter this year.

Since it last made predictions, Nokia appears to have observed a downturn in emerging markets. In mid-November, the handset giant said that the emerging markets were faring better than developed markets. However on Thursday, Nokia said that most recently the impact in emerging markets has been more pronounced than other regions.

Nokia also had bad news for its expectations for next year. It now says that 2009 industry volumes are likely to decline 5 percent or more from this year.

Other mobile-phone makers including Research In Motion and Palm have also recently warned about lower expectations. Earlier this week RIM said that it expects to report 2.6 million new users in its third quarter, rather than the 2.9 million it previously forecast. That new figure is still 57 percent over the same quarter last year, it noted.

After laying off an undisclosed number of people, Palm recently announced that it expects a decline in revenue for its quarter ending on Nov. 28, due to a reduced demand for smartphones.

The expected declines are in line with those of many research firms, including iSuppli, which this week estimated that total phone shipments would decline 5.6 percent next year.

SOURCE:pcworld.com
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Wii Fit, IPhone 3G Among Japan's Top Impulse Buys in 2008

Nintendo's Wii Fit game and Apple's iPhone 3G are among the top 20 products Japanese consumers confessed to buying on impulse in 2008.


In a survey conducted by Japanese search engine Goo, the Wii Fit ranked third for the year behind the year's two sweet sensations: salted sweets and raw caramel. Wii Fit became a national phenomenon because it was seen as an easy and fun way to get fit.


Around 3 million units of the software and companion "balance board" hardware are expected to be sold by Nintendo in Japan this year, it said recently. Worldwide the company expects to sell 10 million units this year.


One other game, "Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G" for the PlayStation Portable, was among the top 20 in the ranking. The Capcom game is one of the most popular for handheld platforms in Japan and has sold more than 2.5 million copies since its launch in March. It was tied for 12th place with another local diet fad: a book that preached the values of keeping-in-shape by eating bananas for breakfast.


Following hot-on-the-heels and tied for 14th place was both a mobile PC and the iPhone 3G.


Japan was part of the simultaneous worldwide launch of the iPhone 3G on July 11 and the phone got considerable media coverage in Japan. It was the first time the iPhone was available here (the previous 2G version wasn't compatible with Japan's cellular networks) and some people began camping out several days before the phone went on sale to be assured of getting one. When sales began, parts of the launch were broadcast live on Japan's morning TV shows.

The popularity of the mobile PC this year can be put down to low prices. Not only are computers like Asus' Eee PC redefining what consumers expect to pay for a laptop but machines are being offered for as little as ¥100 (US$1) by cellular carriers in return for signing a 2-year flat-rate data contract.

The unscientific ranking polled visitors to the Goo portal between Oct. 21 and 24.

SOURCE:pcworld.com

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Nokia N97: No iPhone Killer

Nokia N97 fails as an iPhone competitor.
Seth Weintraub, Computerworld

This one from Nokia, the world's largest cell phone manufacturer. How can I be so certain that it will fail?

1. The product name is lacking. You can't fall in love with a "N97" or a "N810" unless your name is C3PO or R2D2. Nokia has gotten away with not differentiating their product names for so long because they've had great specs, an adequate user experience and some good marketing. In this new competitive smartphone field, you need to be able to form a connection with your device. Nokia isn't creating that. For techies this doesn't matter (I had a Nokia N95 and used to know their whole product line) but for the other 90% of the population, this is a big differentiator. Something like "iPhone" or "Chocolate" or "RAZR" will always beat a set of numbers and letters.

2. Nokia's specs are great but are also not absurdly better than iPhone. Nothing below will be a game changer for most consumers, especially when not integrated as well as they are on the iPhone. There is no killer app feature.

*5 megapixel camera with flash

*3.5", 640x360 resistive touch screen (not glass)

*QWERTY slide out keyboard

*3G, WiFi, GPS

*32GB on board expandable to 48Gb

3. Apps Store. While there are good apps available for the Symbian platform, developers are forced to, yet again, retool their apps for this phone, its screen size and its processor. Not nearly as many will as are putting out great Apple Apps Store content (10,000 apps and counting - about 1/10th are good). The Apps Store is a hit with everyone involved including webmasters who advertise apps on their sites and get commissions. You can't create a whole ecosystem like this overnight.

4. Nokia is no longer the de facto Smartphone. In fact, its numbers are dropping dramatically, while Apple's are skyrocketing. Google's Android platform is also capturing imagination while Blackberry is coming out with some (relatively) exciting models.

5. Symbian is no longer the hot platform. Apple is obviously hot, but the new kid on the block in the open source space is Google with its Android platform. Mindshare is waning for Symbian.

6. The user interface is clunky. Just watch the video below. It seems way more complex than necessary, and slow.

7. It is a third thicker than the iPhone. Probably due to the QWERTY keyboard, this won't feel nearly as good in a tight pocket or even on the ear for a long call. Also the iPhone is one piece of hard material while the N97 is the flip variety. While these aesthetic issues may seem minor, the difference in feel will be significant. (Thanks commenter)

Dimensions:
Phone 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm
N97 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9mm

8. There are websites devoted to the iPhone interface. The N97 is just another face in the crowd mobile platform that won't get specialized webpages developed like the iPhone.

9. It will be available during the middle of next year. By then the next iPhone will be right around the corner - likely with a lot of the N97's differentiating functions and more.

10. All of the other iPhone and iPod killers before the N97 have failed. This isn't much different. Look at the Toshiba G900 released last year. Better specs all around, but barely noticable. I don't want to be a Ballmer here: "No chance!" but I really can't see where this Nokia phone hopes to differentiate itself. I am sure you Nokia fans can help me in the comments.



SOURCE:pcworld.com

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Second Google Phone 'Agora' Out In January: Available Now for Pre-Sale

The world's second Google phone, based on the Android mobile operating system, is set to launch at the end of January. Manufactured under the Australian Kogan brand, the phone will come in two flavors, for $225 or $295.

The Agora and Agora Pro models are both available for pre-sale now on Kogan's website and are sold SIM-free - that is without a contract or network locking. If your wireless carrier is AT&T or T-Mobile, then you can snap the Kogan Android up January 29 when the units officially go on sale. Check with your carrier first, but migrating to the Agora should be as easy as swapping out the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card in your existing handset with the Agora - no need to renew your contract or pay any extra fees.

The Agora Pro is the more powerful out of the two models available and features a 2.5" touchscreen and an integrated QWERTY keyboard. On the Agora Pro you can browse the Internet and check your email via the phone's 3G connection or via Wi-Fi. The phone also has GPS navigation and features a 2-megapixel camera on the back.

Kogan Agora is the less powerful brother and lacks Agora Pro's extras such as GPS, Wi-Fi and the camera, but comes in cheaper at $225 (including US delivery) in comparison to $295 for the Agora Pro. Both models come with only 256MB of on board memory, but this can be extended via the phone's microSD card slots.

Weighing at 130 grams, both models also bring Bluetooth connectivity and FM radio. Kogan also says that the phone's talk time is up to 400 minutes while the standby time is of 300 hours. MiniUSB is used for charging and connecting to PCs.

Kogan Technologies is an Australian based, online-only enterprise, and was founded two years ago by Ruslan Kogan. Kogan manufacturers all its products in China and aims at selling online high-quality electronics cheaply. Kogan also sells LCD TVs, Blu-Ray players, video cameras and now - mobile phones.

SOURCE:pcworld.com

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iPhone Beware, The Nokia N97 Is Coming

After months of waiting, Nokia finally announced the N97, the company's second (unreleased) device to challenge the iPhone and revive to the N-series to their former glory. With a 3.5" touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera and 32GB of memory, the N97 is one phone worth waiting for in the New Year.


Expected spring next year, the N97 features a kick-out QWERTY keyboard that is hidden behind the phone's 3.5" - 16:9 aspect ratio - touchscreen. As a worthy iPhone competitor, the N97 rocks a 5-megapixel camera on the back with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and dual LED flash. Also, unlike the iPhone or the T-Mobile G1, the N97 can capture video in DVD quality in 16:9 aspect ratio.

Storage-wise, the N97 does very well also. The phone comes with 32GB of on-board memory - that is twice the amount of memory the most expensive iPhone brings. As an extra, the capacity can be extended with microSD cards of up to 16GB, ranking up to a potential 48GB of storage on the N97.


Priced at around $700 before carrier subsidies (simfree), the N97 is a 3G phone that can also do HSDPA speeds of 7.2Mb/s (obviously, if your carrier can handle it) and Wi-Fi. The usual flavor of A-GPS with an electronic compass is present, and if you plan to keep yourself entertained with this phone, Nokia says that the N97 can deliver up to 37 hours of music and 4.5 hours of video playback.

Now, even with all these high specs, a good mobile phone would be nothing without software - and Nokia seems to deliver a good offering in this category. The N97 runs on Symbian S50 5th Edition and brings the familiar interface from the (yet unreleased) 5800 Express Music, previously known as 'Tube'.


What's new from Nokia in the software side of things is the ability of having home screen widgets on the N97. Nokia says that these widgets will enable you to update social networks automatically with your status and location as well as related pictures or video.


Nokia will also start competing with Apple's MobileMe service by launching new features for Ovi - the company's social portal. N97 users will be able to have their own free Ovi email account and will be able to enjoy push-like email as well as calendar and contacts synchronizing - T-Mobile G1 style.


Check out this video Nokia released if you want to get a taste of how the software on the N97 will work.

SOURCE:pcworld.com
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Nokia Wants to Automate Your Home

Nokia is developing a device to link mobile phones to home automation systems. Using a mobile phone consumers will be able monitor and control security, heating, and ventilation systems via its gateway Home Control Center, Nokia announced on Thursday.
With appropriate equipment, users will be able to see who is ringing the doorbell at home, via the mobile phone. They can then talk to the person, and for example open the door to a handyman, according to Nokia.

Nokia's first systems are expected to become commercially available by the end of 2009, said Toni Sormunen, director for the Smart Home Program at Nokia.

The heart of the Nokia system is the Home Control Center (HCC), a piece of hardware which will act as gateway between different systems for home automation and the mobile phone, or any device that is equipped with a browser.

Phones will talk to the HCC via an Internet connection or Wi-Fi. Nokia has developed a native client for phones running its Symbian S60 software, and a browser-based client for other devices.

Using the native client users will be able to plug the phone into the HCC with a USB cable, and everything is installed automatically. The native client will also be more responsive, and users won't have to log in when they access their HCC, according to Kari Rantanen, director of sales and marketing at Nokia's Smart Home Program.

The HCC will then be able to talk to security, heating, and ventilation systems via home automation systems. Nokia will initially support only one, Z-Wave, but is opening up its system to enable partners to implement support for other home automation technologies such as ZigBee or KNX (Konnex).

It chose to start with Z-Wave because the number of available products. The members of the Z-Wave Alliance have already introduced 300 products to the market, according to Sormunen.

It will also be up to third parties to integrate different solutions with the HCC, using an SDK (Software Development Kit), which at this point is only available to selected partners under a non-disclosure agreement, according to Rantanen.

"Partnering is very important. We understand our limitations; we are good at creating communication technologies, embedded devices and software platforms," said Sormunen.

Nokia is currently working with German energy company RWE to distribute the system. Their first joint product will focus on home heating management, and be sold by RWE to its customers by the end of next year.

The system will consist of a central control unit together with remote-controlled thermostats for radiators. The user interface will be the PC and the mobile phone. In addition, a separate display will be available, according to Nokia.

Nokia is also working with a number of other companies, including Zen-sys, the inventor and manufacturer of chips for Z-Wave, and Delta Dore, which develops energy management, safety and control systems.

"This is an interesting market," said Sormunen. "There is a consumer interest and need, and the technology is maturing." Equipment prices are coming down as the technology becomes more common -- but success won't come overnight; it is still a few years away, said Sormunen.

The Finnish phone giant is far from the only company that wants to be the center of home automation systems.

"Nokia have been quick on its feet, but there are other companies who are doing similar things," said Johan Stråkander, marketing manager at Swedish company Manodo, which has developed a home automation gateway of its own.

But Nokia entering the market is giving it stamp of approval, according to Stråkander.

SOURCE:pcworld.com
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Nokia to Pull out of Japanese Handset Market

The world's largest cell phone maker is pulling out of one of the world's biggest cellular markets. Nokia said on Thursday that it will stop developing handsets for NTT DoCoMo and Softbank Mobile, effectively ending a push that began five years ago when Nokia re-entered the Japanese market with the launch of 3G services here.

The current global economic conditions pushed Nokia to withdraw from the Japanese market, said Thomas Jonsson, a company spokesman. Faced with lower demand for cell phones the company is examining its operations worldwide and decided that development for the Japanese market is not a priority.

"We've not reached our own internal targets over a sustained period," he said but declined to say what those targets were.

Nokia will keep a research and development center open in Japan and continue its procurement activities, said Jonsson. The plan also won't affect its high-end Vertu brand handsets. A recent press report, which Jonsson declined to comment on, said Nokia would launch an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) next year through which it would provide service for Vertu.

The company was active in Japan in the 1990s, supplying handsets for the country's proprietary second-generation PDC networks, but pulled out of the market. It reentered earlier this decade when 3G services began and has had one or two handsets on sale ever since through NTT DoCoMo and Softbank, which both operate WCDMA (wideband code-division multiple access) networks.

Nokia's decision probably says more about the Japanese market than it does about Nokia. Handsets from NEC, Fujitsu, Sharp, Panasonic and other domestic makers, which are typically developed in close cooperation with carriers and highly tuned to local tastes, are most popular here and no foreign phone maker enjoys the same level of popularity here that it does in other major markets.

For example, the recently announced new line-up of 22 phones from NTT DoCoMo includes five from Panasonic, four each from Fujitsu, Sharp and NEC and then two from Taiwan's HTC and a single handset each from Nokia, LG and Blackberry.

Coupled with a highly developed yet proprietary mobile Internet system, the Japanese market is sometimes referred to as the "Galapagos Islands" of the cellular industry -- a reference to the Pacific islands where a vast number of species have developed differently from most of the rest of the world.



SOURCE:pcworld.com

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