Month: December 2007

Toshiba Corporation today announced the commercial launch of the SCiB the Super Charge ion Battery a breakthrough rechargeable battery primarily targeting the industrial systems market that can recharge to 90% of full capacity in less than five minutes. The battery offers excellent safety and a long-life cycle of over 10 years, even under conditions of constant rapid charging. Toshiba aims to make this high potential battery a mainstay of its industrial systems and automotive products businesses, with global sales of 100 billion yen targeted for fiscal year 2015. The first SCiB will be shipped from March 2008. Read the whole press release here:

“Smart Educational games is a pack of games that helps you learn world Geography (States, Counties, Capital Cities), improves your memory, your mental awareness and your calculating speed. Specially designed for both Grown-ups and Kids: The program is suitable for both Grown-ups and kids. A simple button changes the difficulty on all the games at once.Improve your Geography:There is a pack of map games for USA, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Center and South America where you must find either States / Countries or the Capital Cities on the map. The faster you do it the better your score will be. Help is available so that you can surly learn all the worlds geography.Improve your Memory:A memory game helps you fit your brains memory and by time improve it. Improve your Mental Awareness:A puzzle game with many different images helps you use your brain by just playing a very addictive game.Improve your Calculating Speed:These may look like simple �shoot the ufo� games but they are very sophisticated educational games which help you calculate faster and faster. You can try addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. ” Check it here:

“Adding to Apple’s iPhone game list, Iphone Playstation Emulator is expected to hit stores soon and bring about ca hange in mobile gaming. A coder called zodttd is presently operating on an emulator (expected to work with both Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch) of the original Sony Playstation for our lovable iPhone. The PSX iPhone emulator is getting ready to enter beta version. The PSX4iPhone is expected to feature enhanced screen scaling and screen placement. It might offer saving game option and support for memory cards. It may be compatible with approx. 75 percent games. Let us wait and watch for the upcoming Beta. ” via mobilewhack.com

“Nokia N73 is said to be the most successful Nseries handset to date, with monstrous sales figures compared to the rest of the N-series lot. N82 comes to succeed it and become the most affordable of feature-loaded Nokia cameraphones. The Finns quote its price at 450 Euro pretax, which sounds reasonable, given the included features and the 2GB of memory card supplied in the package.The almighty Nokia N95 should probably also feel threatened for the lack of the sweet Xenon flash and the auto UI rotation of its N82 sibling. We still believe though the extra 0.2-inch difference in the display size will also play a major role in choosing between these two devices.” Read more here:

ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with NTT DoCoMo,Inc., NEC Corp., Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd., and ESTEEMO Co., Ltd. under which the companies will study the use of ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) as the basis for developing a shared Linux(R) platform for mobile phones and an operator pack for NTT DoCoMo. In a market characterized by frequent model changes and fast time-to-market requirements, high-performance handsets demand increasingly complex software. ACCESS intends to help handset makers meet these requirements by developing a shared platform for the global market based on ACCESS Linux Platform, a next-generation open operating system platform, in combination with custom-tailored operator packs embedded with a full slate of carrier-specific applications. ACCESS Linux Platform enables the creation of world-class mobile phones and wireless devices by providing an integrated, flexible and complete, commercial-grade Linux platform designed for the worldwide mobile phone and converged device markets.Under the MOU, ACCESS will make use of MOAP(L) (Mobile Oriented Application Platform based on Linux) which is the FOMA(TM) mobile platform used by NTT DoCoMo, and will lead the development of a shared software platform that also conforms to specifications of the LiMo Foundation, an independent, non-profit foundation established with the aim of promoting the use of Linux by the mobile industry. The five companies have also agreed to consider development of an operator pack for NTT DoCoMo based on the shared platform. ACCESS intends to begin marketing the commercial products resulting from these efforts during fiscal 2009.”Linux-based mobile phones are attracting attention at home and abroad,” said Toru Arakawa, president and CEO, ACCESS. “The agreement by NTT DoCoMo, NEC, Panasonic Mobile and ESTEEMO to join us in discussing the development of a shared Linux-based platform and operator pack will contribute to the efficient development and prompt release of next-generation handsets by providing the type of user-friendly interface that is only possible with Linux.” “In January this year, NTT DoCoMo established the LiMo Foundation, together with key companies worldwide,” said Kiyohito Nagata, senior vice president, managing director of Product Department, Products & Services, NTT DoCoMo. “The conclusion of this memorandum will substantially expedite the development of a shared platform based on LiMo Foundation specifications, as well as promote consideration of an operator pack by the five participating companies. In this way, the memorandum will contribute to the dissemination and growth of the Linux platform and the creation of an associated ecosystem. We expect it to enable the development of products that are even more attractive to NTT DoCoMo.” “As a firm believer in the Linux-based platform for mobile terminals, NEC has long been involved in development of MOAP(L) and has been a founding member in the LiMo Foundation,” said Susumu Otani, senior vice president of NEC. “We hope entering into today’s MOU will enable us to accelerate the further expansion of a LiMo Foundation-compliant Linux platform and its ecosystem.” “As a founding member of the LiMo Foundation, Panasonic Mobile Communications has been contributing to the realization of a Linux-based mobile platform using software technologies cultivated during the development of NTT DoCoMo’s FOMA 3G mobile service,” said Osamu Waki, president of Panasonic Mobile Communications. “We anticipate that the conclusion of this MOU will hasten the creation and further evolution of a Linux platform based on LiMo and its ecosystem. “With the combined strengths of both Panasonic Mobile Communications and NEC, we believe we can truly contribute to developing and promoting a globally competitive common platform and software for Linux-based mobile terminals,” said Yoshiharu Tamura, president of ESTEEMO.

“There are rumors circulating on GPS message boards of a new handheld series from Garmin, the Colorado.We have no real details yet; the following was posted on a GPSInformation.net forum thread on the Garmin Colorado: “I have had my hands on one of the prototypes, should be released spring ’08. The large round button allows quick navigation to various functions from each page activated from options button on top right of unit (as you look at it…..opens a “window” on screen). Nice form factor overall, easy one handed operation and fast processor. I work in a marine store and all the Garmin reps have ’em in hand to evaluate. Nice unit, retail will be in the $500 + range, street price remains to be seen.” Garmin is always so tight-lipped about new products, I have my doubts that they are out showing off prototypes. Nevertheless, with a Garmin 60Cx / 60CSx rebate available through the end of the year, clearing out stock, perhaps it’s true.The most likely venue for an announcement is the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. I’ll be there covering all the latest for GPS Tracklog readers, including any new products introduced by Garmin.” via gpstracklog.typepad.com

“According to the recent survey of Strategy Analytics, Palm Centro smartphone attracted attention of 50% of Americans, who decided to buy a new mobile device in 4Q 2007. They preferred it to Samsung i760, LG Rumor, Nokia Prism and Pantech C810. The users chose Palm Centro and Samsung i760 as multi-functional “all-in-one” devices.As for Nokia Prism, the respondents spoke of it as a fashion product designed for ladies. Those who needed multi-functional device with voice services, music and PIM (Personal Information Management) preferred LG Rumor with the QWERTY-keyboard.” via mobile-review.com

“Weeks after Google revealed aspirations of creating a defacto standard operating system for mobile phones, via Android and the Open Handset Alliance, a lesser known, broad-based consortium has published what it hopes can serve as an actual standard for Linux-based phones. The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum was founded in 2005, and quickly doubled its membership. Unlike industry groups such as the OHA and LiMo (Linux Mobile Foundation), which are writing actual code for cross-licensing among members, LiPS has taken on the ambitious goal of defining real standards. LiPS Executive Director Bill Weinberg explains, “Our goal is to create a freestanding, actual specification that exists as a real standard, and is not beholden to any one implementation.”In theory, standard APIs for Linux-based mobile phones, if widely adopted, could enable operators to roll out services faster, while enabling handset manufacturers to produce compatible new phones faster. Other beneficiaries could be ISVs (independent software vendors), mobile phone software stack providers, and of course, phone consumers, who after buying a new phone could re-install purchased applications and continue with existing services. Additional LiPS views on real vs. de facto standards can be found in a whitepaper comparing LiPS to Android, here. Weinberg admits that the challenge is in moving from paper standards to real implementations and then to widespread adoption. One turning point could come if operators were to mandate specification compliance. Weinberg said, “The most powerful adoption will come from operators, such as [existing LiPS members] France Telecom, Telecom Italia, and British Telecom. They want to roll out their services on LiPS’s API enabler specification.”Read more here:

“You waited, and waited for it, so we’re finally bringing it to you! Check out our hands-on video of Windows Mobile 6.1, where we take you through all the new features we’ve found so far. In case you forgot them, we’ve got ’em below! Copy / Paste (finally!) Domain Enroll in Settings (Enrolling in a domain will connect your device with company resources.) New home screen (pan left and right to check out missed calls, notifications like email, sms, etc.) Change Master Security Code Added text input settings Recent Programs when pressing Start menu Threaded SMS! When you compose an email, or SMS, and start typing the name of the contact in the “To:” field, the contact names finally pop up like Windows Mobile Professional! Internet Explorer now lets you define a homepage, and also zoom in and out using a nice and clean interface Task Manager now shows CPU usage as a whole, and also lists it by process Internet Explorer offers 6 zoom modes and copy / paste functionality IE also uses a new font, which looks worlds better ActiveSync will now try to automatically configure your Exchange settings once you enter an email address Wi-Fi indicator in the status bar, just as in Windows Mobile Professional New “Vista” home screen and theme” via boygeniusreport.com

“Samsung Electronics has launched to the Korean market a special version of the SPH-W2400 with an AMOLED-display. I’d remind you that the SPH-W2400 hit the stores in Korea this June. This is a slider with a hinge display. It can work in GSM and supports 3G with HSDPA. The phone also features a 2.3” display, a 2-megapixel camera, an integrated MP3-player, a microSD slot, a TV-out and Bluetooth interface. Samsung SPH-W2400 supports T-DMB digital broadcasting.Samsung SPH-W2400 Special Edition with an AMOLED-display is already available on the Korean market. The device comes in the limited edition – only 1000 models offered at the recommended price of 500-600 thousand Won (approx. $537-645).” via mobile-review.com