Day: May 3, 2006

“Acer n311 measures 110x70x13.7 mm and weighs – 135 g. This is the tiniest VGA PDA at the moment. It size can be compared to the legendary HP iPaq 1910/1940, which enjoyed great popularity due to its design and tiny size. I can recall two models with smaller size – Palm Z22 and HTC Galaxy, however they belong to another class, so we can compare Acer n311 with them. Given the light weight of the PDA it can be carried comfortably anywhere – in pockets, on the belt or belt case.” Read this nice article here:

“Opera Software today released Opera Mini 2.0, the new version of the tiny Web browser that runs on almost every mobile phone. With over 2.5 million users since its first release in January 2006, Opera Mini has revolutionized mobile Web browsing. Opera Mini 2.0 further improves the Web surfing experience for any mobile phone user by enabling them to download MP3s, images and other Web content directly to their mobile phone. Additional features include quick and easy mobile shopping, improved design, bookmark speed dials, and moreNew capabilities in Opera Mini help businesses take the pain out of mobile commerce. Opera Mini now supports seamless mobile commerce via SMS. For example, users can click directly on the Web site to purchase ringtones, games and other content which will then be delivered as an SMS. The charge will appear in the phone bill as an SMS with the price set by the seller. This form of mobile commerce – direct from the browser to SMS – simplifies the transaction for both the business and the consumer.Opera Mini is also available as a customized browser for businesses that want to reach mobile customers. Operators, broadcasters, mobile content providers, handset manufacturers and others can take advantage of Opera Mini’s fast and easy way to make both existing and new content available on all handsets.New features in Opera Mini 2.0 include: Content download: Download images, MP3s, etc. directly to the phone. New skins: Make Opera Mini your own by selecting from several new and bold skins to suit your mood. Multisearch: Opera Mini offers advanced searching functionality by allowing users to select extra search engines for the home page. Speed dial: Bookmarks displayed on the home page are assigned a shortcut key combination, giving users faster and easier access to their favorite sites. Visual navigation: Quick and smooth horizontal panning when browsing backwards or forwards.Direct the mobile phone’s WAP browser to http://mini.opera.com (No cost)Opera Mini is available in the following languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish. More languages will be available shortly.””Opera Mini has kick-started real mobile Web browsing by enabling non-smartphone owners to surf the full Internet on their phones, just as they do on their PCs,” said Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. “Opera Mini 2.0 adds a more personal aspect to mobile Web browsing. Whether you want to change the way the browser looks to suit your mood, download today’s most popular song, or even check movie times and book tickets, Opera Mini 2.0 is the mobile browser designed for the way you live your life.”

“Solidly built, the centrepiece of the OQO 01+ is its 5-inch active touch screen, which unfortunately suffers from poor brightness and a notorious lack of precision during stylus use. Furthermore, as with newfangled UMPC devices, its 800 x 480 resolution teeters on the very brink of usability for several reasons, including limitations in Windows XP and the vast majority of recent applications and web pages being adapted for resolutions from 1024 x 768 pixels and up.” Check out this review here:

“Garmin International has announced its new premium navigator for cars and motorcycles – the StreetPilot 2820. This model is based on a successful StreetPilot 2700 series, it got the support of Bluetooth, including the opportunity to make hands-free calls in pair with a Bluetooth-phone. In this mode the users can dial numbers from the phone address book or call history and also make calls using database stored in the navigator.The StreetPilot 2820 can be used as the MP3-player. Besides it is waterproof and complies with IEC 529 IPX7 standard, i.e. it can work at a 1 meter’s depth during 30 minutes. There is an optional function, which can trace traffic situation with the help of FM RDS-TMC (Traffic Message Channel) or XM NavTraffic (in the US only). With the latter you can use some other services, including weather forecast and share quotations.The StreetPilot 2820 is expected to be available in June. The recommended price makes up $1099. The device will be supplied with the maps of Europe or the US.” via mobile-review.com

“Taiwan-based BenQ and High Tech Computer (HTC) are speeding up the respective launch of their HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) phones, with BenQ expected to deliver its first HSDPA phone, the EF91, to T-Mobile in July and HTC to begin shipping its model, codenamed Muse, to Qtek (Model S300) in the third quarter, according to market sources.BenQ previously indicated that it planned to launch the EF91 in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a previous report. The new schedule may place BenQ ahead of other leading vendors such as Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson for the launch of HSDPA phones, the sources noted.Both BenQ and HTC will promote their HSDPA phones first in the European market, the sources indicated.In related news, Jerry Wang, chairman of BenQ Mobile, stated that the company started small volume shipments of its two new 3G handsets, the S81 and EF81, in April, with shipments to start rising in May.” via digitimes.com