Day: June 15, 2007

“Another new ultramobile. What’s different this time? It runs Windows CE instead of Vista or XP. This means (a) it will be cheap, (b) the batteries will last longer and (c) the makers have sat down and thought about how ultramobile PCs are actually used, instead of how the Origami marketers would like them to be used.The compromise is that you get a sucky, ugly operating system that offers all the panache of Windows 95. The benefits, however, are intriguing. You get instant-on, thanks to Flash-based RAM, and a much longer battery life thanks to the relatively featherweight components that CE is happy running on. It looks like maker Compal has hit on a good idea: if Microsoft won’t make a UMPC-appropriate operating system, why not fish out the nearest thing from its current raft of mobile offerings? The unit has a Freescale CPU, HSDPA, 256MB of SDRAM and 512MB of Flash RAM, WiFI, Bluetooth, a 1.3 MP camera, miniSD card slot and an extremely lightweight .6 lb body. Like Intel’s latest prototypes, It looks a little like a first-gen UMPC model, with the giant touchscreen and minimal surroundings, but hides a slider keyboard the size of the entire device. If this is priced right (i.e. “Under $400″) and the availability happens (Compal is Taiwan-based and doesn’t throw its gear west) this could be a saucy little dark horse. ” via blog.wired.com

“News.com is reporting on new round of job cuts at Palm Inc. today. The article says some workers are still in the process of being notified of the cuts this afternoon. The total number of layoffs is not known at this point. “It’s a small percentage of our workforce,” Palm spokesman Jim Christensen told News.com, adding that Palm still has openings in some areas. The bulk of the jobs being eliminated are in the U.S. and in Palm’s development ranks, though there are some cuts across the company, he said. Christensen said the move was “not about cost-cutting” but rather about “eliminating some of the hierarchy” at the company. This news follows last week’s announcement of Palm’s plans to sell a 25% stake in the company to Elevation Partners. Along with the investment and recapitalization plan, Palm also announced major changes to its Board of directors with long time Chairman Eric Benhamou stepping down. Jon Rubinstein, former senior vice president of hardware engineering and head of the iPod division at Apple, is joining Palm as executive chairman of the board. Fred Anderson and Roger McNamee, managing directors and co-founders of Elevation, will also be joining Palm’s board. ” via palminfocenter.com

A deck of new accessories launched today by Sony Ericsson go further to make your mobile phone the centre of your music listening world. They all sport superior audio quality, stand-out design and simple operation, and between them have everything you need to turn your phone into the complete mobile music system. Three new music headsets, an FM Music Transmitter and a Music Desk Stand make up the range announced today, plus the Bluetooth™ Watch MBW-150 Music Edition.“If you love music then you appreciate good audio quality and you want nothing to come between you and your favourite tunes,” says Jacob Sten, Head of PBU Accessories at Sony Ericsson. “With these great new accessories you really can enjoy great music with exceptional sound at home, at work or on the go. Whether you’re into heavy metal, light pop, classical or R&B, just put your music on your phone and savour it, share it or dance to it.“ New Music Accessories by Sony Ericsson Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS200Light and easy to use, the HBH-DS200 will let you enjoy your music and phone calls as you go. Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-90A handsfree with a display which tells you who is calling and which song is playing. Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-83A street-style headset with exceptional sound. Easy-to-use and comfortable to wear. FM Music Transmitter MMR-70Play your in-phone music through your car or home stereo. Music Desk Stand MDS-65At home or away, the MDS-65 is your portable stereo. Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS200Pair the HBH-DS200 with your phone and enjoy your music in crystal clear stereo. Light enough to be worn without pulling on your ears, the headset receives music streamed from your phone using the latest Bluetooth™ technology. You can accept or reject calls and control your phone’s music player, so your phone need never leave your pocket. Never miss a call because the phone pauses your music automatically the moment that a call comes in. Stereo Portable Hands HPM-90 If you use your Walkman® phone for every day listening to music then this good-looking stereo headset is the perfect partner. Designed to complement the vibrant Walkman® phone range, the HPM-90 is immensely practical too, allowing you to see incoming calls as well as track information. Good looking and fun, this attractive headset has a high quality look with superior sound. Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-83 Innovative is a sure way to describe this funky new Portable Handsfree. Designed for an active lifestyle, it has a strong, flexible neckband that gives good support and stability. It wraps behind your neck so won’t get in the way if you’re running or in the gym, and it also means you can wear just about any style of head gear at the same time. You’ll want to show off the metallic silver and black finish that give it a cool, premium look. With such a distinctive design and the superb sound quality, the HPM-83 is music to your ears in every way. FM Music Transmitter MMR-70 Why make do with listening to what the DJ plays when listening to the radio? With the MMR-70 you can play the music stored on your phone through your radio speakers. The Player transmits the tracks over radio waves to your FM radio, with no need for wires or any other connection. You simply plug the MMR-70 into your phone, choose an available radio frequency and off you go – uninterrupted music of your choice with no adverts or DJ chat. The MMR-70 works at a range of up to 10 metres (between the phone and the FM Radio), it remembers the last frequency used for easy reconnection and is light and small enough to tuck neatly into your pocket or the glove compartment of your car. Music Desk Stand MDS-65Turn your phone into a stereo system and share your music at home, at work or whilst travelling. Either use it as a battery-powered standalone player or plug it in and listen through the speakers on your desk, catching up with the radio news or just enjoying music while you work. The Music Desk Stand charges your phone while it’s cradled and its unique rotating system connector fits all current Sony Ericsson phones. Designed to look great in any situation, with the MDS-65 you can easily make your phone your portable music jukebox. New Music Accessories – At a glance: Facts and Figures Music Desk Stand MDS-65 Packaging: Box Hardware Size (width/length/thickness) 127 x 268 x 42mm Weight: 720 g/ 25.4 oz Colour: Black/SilverIn-Box: Music Desk Stand MDS-65Power AdaptorUser Guide CompatibilityK550i, K610i, K750i, K800i, K810i, M600i, P1i, P990i, S500i, T250i, T650i, W200i, W300i, W550i, W580i, W610i, W660i, W700i, W710i, W800i, W810i, W850i, W880i, W900i, W950i, Z520i, Z530i, Z550i, Z610i, Z710i For further info www.sonyericsson.com/accessories Availability: The Music Desk Stand MDS-65 will be available in selected markets from Q3 2007. Facts and Figures Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS200 In-ear design Battery status and Pairing mode icon Warranty: Standard 1 year warrantyHardware: Weight 13.4 g/0.469 oz. Colour: Silver Number of keys on display: 3 Battery 1 built-in rechargeable NimH cell ½AAA Performance: Talk/music time: Up to 7 hoursStandby time: Up to 300 hours Other features: DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Fast automatic volume adjustment Auto pairing™ (compatible with the Sony Ericsson mobile phones W550/W600 and future Sony Ericsson Bluetooth™ mo­bile phones, released from 2006 and onwards) Redialing In-Box:Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS200 Standard Charger CST-61 User Guide Compatibility Bluetooth™ specification 2.0 Bluetooth™ profiles Headset, Handsfree, A2DP Sony Ericsson Bluetooth™ headsets are compatible with the Bluetooth™ mobile phones of both Sony Ericsson and other phone brands, that support the A2DP profile (streaming audio) For further information, please see www.sonyericsson.com Availability:The Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS200 will be available in stores from Q2 2007 Facts and Figures Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-83 Warranty: Standard 1 year warranty Packaging: Blister Hardware Weight: 52.6g without cord Colour: Silver and black Number of keys on cord: 1 Other features 3.5 mm plug Call handling keys for answering/ending or reject calls In-Box: Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-83 User Guide Compatibility Compatible with Sony Ericsson phones incorporating Fast port. For complete list please see www.sonyericsson.com/accessories Availability: The Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-83 will be available in stores from Q3 ’07 Facts and Figures FM Music Transmitter MMR-70 Warranty: Standard 1 year warrantyPackaging: Blister Hardware Size (width/length/thickness) 42x34x11 mm Weight: 9 g/0.3 oz Colour: Silver/Gray/Orange/ Black In-Box: FM Music Transmitter MMR-70Protective connector cap User guide CompatibilityK550i, K610i, K750i, K800i, K810i, M600i, P1i, P990i, S500i, T250i, T650i, W200i, W300i, W550i, W580i, W610i, W660i, W700i, W710i, W800i, W810i, W850i, W880i, W900i, W950i, Z520i, Z530i, Z550i, Z610i, Z710i Availability: The FM Music Transmitter MMR-70 is available in selected markets from Q3 2007 Facts and Figures Stereo Portable Hands HPM-90 Warranty: Standard 1 year warranty Packaging: Blister Hardware Colour: Silver and black Number of keys on cord: 5 Other features OLED display providing caller ID and track information 3.5 mm plug Call handling keys for answering/ending or reject calls In-Box: Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-90 User Guide Compatible with Sony Ericsson Walkman® Phones. For complete list please see www.sonyericsson.com/accessories Availability: The Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-90 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2007.

According to two new domains registered by T-Mobile, we may see the Sidekick LE and Sidekick LX. The two domains are of course sidekickle.com and sidekicklx.com.We’re not too sure what these devices are, or if they were just ideas that T-Mobile had and decided to jump on the domains. We’ll keep our eyes out for these two phones.” via slashphone.com