Phonesnews.com

“Palm has discretely released a stand-alone version of VersaMail 3.5 for all OS 5 Palm devices. Both Windows and Mac OS installers are now available for download from PalmGear. Note that VersaMail 3.5 is indended for use and installation with the Palm Treo 650 smartphone, TX handheld, and LifeDrive mobile manager only. No other Palm devices are supported. VersaMail 3.5.1 currently ships with the new Treo 700p. An overview of Versamail’s features can be found here. Aside from being capable of ActiveSync with Microsoft Exchange servers, Palm has not announced a list of bugfixes or upgrades from previous versions of VersaMail. The cost for the update is $9.99 and is dated July 6th 2006. Users low on available memory should note that VersaMail installs to RAM instead of being a ROM updater.” Check it here: via palminfocenter.com

“Nokia’s portable multimedia computer and digital photography powerhouse has received the go ahead from the almighty suits in Washington. The FCC has given its super valuable stamp of approval to the Nokia N93 twin-flipping clamshell, with cheers being heard clear across the nation.To recap, the Nokia N93 throws down an incredible 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 3x optical zoom, and 30fps video recording capabilities. As a multimedia powerhouse, this superphone is easily capable of playing back music, movies, and video games with the best of them. No word on an exact launch date, per se, but this S60 3rd-edition based handset is expected to retail in the $700 USD neighbourhood.” via mobilemag.com

“Some people call it the mother of all smartphones, and rightly so. Sony Ericsson’s P990i cell phone has been granted approval by the FCC, ensuring it reaches our grubby l’il hands. The phone boasts Symbian OS 9.1 as well as the upgraded UIQ 3 platform.How soon can we expect this baby? I’d guess sometime in August would be good. We’ve been waiting a long time for UIQ 3 and it’ll be interesting to see what Sony Ericsson has done with it. Like its predecessors, the P990i features the familiar Jog Dial to scroll around the menu items.A Task Manager is integrated, allowing you to switch between tasks. The phone supports Memory Stick PRO Duo media. Our coverage of the Sony Ericsson P990i Cell Phone is also available.Highlights:Bluetooth 2.0 IrDa WLAN 802.11b High speed UMTS modem (384 kbps) Word, excel and PowerPoint viewers/editors (text only) Adobe PDF viewer Opera 8.0 web browser with landscape full screen support RSS news feeds support” via mobilewhack.com

“Tripod Data System (TDS) has updated its Recon series of rugged handheld computers. The new Recon-X series PDAs feature twice as much Flash memory (up to 256 MB) as the original, along with optional built-in Bluetooth and 802.11g WiFi. A Linux-based version will begin beta testing next week, and ship in July or early August. TDS’s rugged PDAs come standard with Microsoft operating systems, but are available with Linux through distributor SDG Systems. SDG was originally contracted to port Linux to TDS’s rugged PDAs by 10East, a vertical market vendor serving the railroad industry. Mike Wilson, of 10East, explains, “10East has provided ongoing funding to SDG Systems for the Linux porting of this product line, just so we could provide the very best handheld technology to our rail market. We are not interested in business outside of the rail market, so we have worked out an arrangement with Todd Blumer and TDS that enables Todd’s company to service all other market segments.”Blumer says SDG is currently readying a beta Linux implementation for the Recon-X series PDAs. Blumer said, “We expect to release the product with beta software in about a week, with a shipping release by the end of July or early August. The pricing will be the same as for the Recon X-Series with Windows Mobile.” ” More at linuxdevices.com

“Rumor says LG is preparing an upcoming chocolate phone KG99 with 9.9mm slim body. The phone keypad is 4 in a row, putting the *, 0 and # key at the side instead of bottom. Offering 256k colors display screen, the KG99 has a music player as well as an internal FM radio receiver. Good news is microSD slot is available, you can have more rooms for music files on top of the internal memory. Unconfirm specificationsSpecificationsMode GSM Triband 900 / 1800 / 1900Dimensions 95 x 52 x 9.9 mmBattery Type Lithium-IonBattery Life unknownWeight 73 grams Display 2,62,000 colors, TFT (176 x 220)External Display -Expansion Slot microSDBuilt-in Memory unknownCamera YesConnectivityGPRS, Bluetooth, Java, MMS, SMS, WAPOthersFM Radio, Mp3 Player” via slashphone.com

“Sony Europe’s Recording Media & Energy (RME) division today announced the launch of the new 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo. Sony Memory Stick media are available in capacities ranging from 128MB to 4GB depending on their format (Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO High Speed and Memory Stick Micro) and are easily identifiable through a revitalised Sony packaging design, incorporating colour coding for easy identification of the different format line-ups as well as the different capacity. In addition, all Memory Stick Duo and PRO Duo media now come complete with a standard size Memory Stick adaptor to enable use with standard size Memory Stick compatible devices – as well as the Duo size compatible products.The increased storage capacity of the 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo media enables the users to hold large amounts of multimedia data including digital photos, music files, videos and games as well as increasingly popular podcasts and video blogs. Users will be able to store up to 1000 MP3 songs, 3000 digital photos in 5 megapixel resolution or more than 9 hours of MPEG-4 video* on a 4GB Memory Stick, making it ideal for mobile entertainment – especially given the increasing number of available data hungry applications.At one-third the size and half the weight of the standard-size Memory Stick cards, the Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo and PRO Duo High Speed currently represent the most versatile format in the Memory Stick range. Many recently launched products such as digital still cameras and camcorders, mobile phones, notebook computers and the Sony PSP, feature a Memory Stick PRO Duo slot as standard. All Memory Stick PRO Duo media offer a minimum write speed of 15Mb/s, providing fast performance for activities such as video recording and multi-shooting, which use demanding digital imaging applications and require fast transfer of large files.The new Memory Stick PRO Duos are robust and capable of operating in extreme working conditions, making them suitable for use in both hot and low temperatures and come complete with a 5 year warranty providing peace of mind for its customers. In addition, a free to download file rescue software enables the quick recovery of deleted photographs and other files which have been lost or deleted.The new Memory Stick Duo line-up with the new packaging design and inclusive adaptor will be introduced in Summer 2006. The 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo media will be available from summer 2006 and will cost approximately €170.”

“How Vodafone Germany announced today, the second largest German carrier will also launch the HTC Hermes during this summer and is therefore following T-Mobile which recently announced to launch the HTC Hermes as T-Mobile MDA Vario II and O2 Germany which announced to launch it as O2 Xda trion. The tri-band UMTS/3G Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition also sports GSM, GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a mini-USB port, making data transfer simple – anytime, anywhere. The VPA compact III comes equipped with a slide-out, ergonomic QWERTZ (since it is a German device) keyboard and 2.8 color display with touch-screen. It also features a jog wheel for easy, one-hand operation. Interesting enough, Vodafone selects the HTC TyTN ID which looks slightly different to O2’s Xda trion ID:Vodafone plans to launch the device during July this year. With a 24 month contract, it will retail for 409,50 Euro; without a contract the VPA compact III will costs 899,50 Euro!” via theunwired.net

Alltel Wireless, America’s largest wireless network, and Kyocera Wireless, a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones and devices, announced today that the Kyocera StrobeO is available at Alltel stores nationwide. The Strobe features a curved, stylish candybar design that opens lengthwise to reveal a second color display and a full QWERTY keypad inside. “QWERTY keypads make for super-fast instant messaging, e-mail and texting,” said Wade McGill, senior vice president for wireless product management at Alltel. “The Strobe from Alltel, which comes loaded with Axcess Instant Messaging right out of the box, proves once and for all that QWERTY keypads aren’t just for business users anymore. Younger customers are going to love this phone.” The phone’s hourglass figure and loop antenna combine to give it a unique appearance. Opening the clamshell reveals the keypad and a larger color screen ideal for viewing games and pictures. Users can alternate between the open and closed modes as many times as they like during a session without disrupting the phone’s basic functionality. The Kyocera Strobe features a VGA camera, built-in speakerphone and voice-activated dialing. It also has hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology, BREW 2.3.1, and Axcess Web capability. “Our consumer testing has shown a strong attraction to Strobe by the ever-growing youth market,” said Tom Maguire, vice president of global marketing at Kyocera Wireless Corp. “It’s combination of fun features and unique style make it ideal for young people on the go, whether for making a call, snapping a photo, or shooting off a quick IM or text message.” The Strobe is available from Alltel for $49.99 after a $40 mail-in rebate. This discounted price is available to new customers on two-year service agreements as well as to existing eligible customers on qualifying rate plans. A complete line of Genuine Accessories by Kyocera™ is also available for Strobe, including a Sport Strap that’s perfect for tethering the phone to a backpack or belt loop. Axcess Instant Messaging from Alltel Wireless lets users chat while they’re on the go with AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. Alltel customers can use an existing IM account or sign up for a new one. Standard text messaging rates apply. Alltel is a customer-focused communications company with more than 15 million customers in 37 states and nearly $10 billion in annual revenues.

“Mobile ESPN and Samsung announced the debut of the Samsung ACE, the latest wireless device providing mobile users access to personalized sports news and information, fantasy sports team management and high-quality audio and video content exclusively from Mobile ESPN. The Samsung ACE features a slim design, measuring just over a half-inch thick and weighing only 3.53 ounces. Made of lightweight magnesium that is both durable and fashionable, the Samsung ACE features ESPN’s signature look and feel with a red and black keypad, complete with ESPN’s trademark logo and unique numerical font style.The Samsung ACE’s large QVGA display and stereo speakers are ideal for watching sports clips with full-motion video and rich sound quality. The user interface features easy-to-read icons that instantly link users to the Mobile ESPN sports application, downloads, digital camera features and messaging capabilities. With the convenient “E” button located in the center of the keypad, users can launch their mobile sports experience with the touch of a button. This exclusive Mobile ESPN feature takes sports fans directly to their personalized sports content, including ESPN BottomLine scores and headlines; favorite teams and player statistics; Gamecast – a live, graphical game representation; customized Mobile ESPN video clips and game highlights; ESPN commentary and analysis; real-time scores; sports alerts and fantasy team management. With the Samsung ACE, sports enthusiasts will be free to cheer on their favorite teams, thanks to a high-quality speakerphone and built-in Bluetooth wireless capability. The handset also includes enhanced voice recognition, voice memo and a personal calendar – ideal for meetings and reminders. ” More at phonemag.com

“Open the flip and the Katana looks a little less like a RAZR. The Katana has small rectangular plastic buttons instead of the RAZR’s etched-metal keypad. The Katana’s screen is superior to the RAZR’s—a dazzlingly sharp 320-by-240; the RAZR’s is 176-by-220. Combined with the built-in Access NetFront Web browser or, even better, Opera Mini, that makes for a very pleasant wireless Web experience. Like the RAZR, the Katana is a good-looking voice phone with a few frills, not a high-end featurezoid. Four hours of talk time is good for a Sprint phone so slim, and reception is strong. The Katana has analog roaming for rural use. The phone’s volume goes up extremely high. There’s a definite hiss in the earpiece and voices sound quite harsh at high volumes, but that diminishes as you turn the volume down. Transmissions are clear enough, though there’s some noticeable digital compression. The speakerphone is of moderate volume and works with the flip closed. Voice dialing is the old-fashioned recorded-tag type. The phone book supports 500 contacts with multiple phone numbers, e-mails, and a photo for each person. Polyphonic (not MP3) ringtones purchased from Sprint are loud, and the vibrate function is decently powerful. ” Read more at pcmag.com