The new AVN 6600 from Eclipse Fujitsu Ten is a DVD entertainment deck that can provide the owner with access to, well, automotive entertainment nirvana. Twin DVD drives allow for more mobile entertainment and info on the go. For instance, you could have the top drive spinning an mp3 disk with Scorpion’s Greatest Hits while the parallel sister drive spins the NAVI DVD with 1.2 gabillion points of interest, simultaneously. The unit is HD ready, Sat ready, iPod ready and of course comes with Eclipse’s ESN Security built in.There are numerous A/V ins and outs for multi screen operation in your pimped out 94 Camry, allowing you to follow the navigation up front, and have the rear passengers catch up on season 3 of WKRP in Cincinnati. Eclipse is generally the leader of Car Audio Entertainment; the AVN 6600 is one of the reasons why. via ohgizmo.com
TomTom Unveils Next Generation in Car Navigation
TomTom to Launch State of the Art Range of New Portable In-Car NavigationProducts and Series of New and Updated Content & Services LONDON, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TomTom (Euronext: TOM2 ; OTC:TMOAF), the leading navigation solution provider, today unveiled the futureof portable car navigation with the announcement of the new, smart and easyto use TomTom GO range and a collection of new and updated TomTom PLUScontent & services. “With the launch of TomTom GO in 2004, we created a new category ofpersonal car navigation solutions. It was an immediate hit and we have sinceshaped and led the industry almost single handedly, outselling any other carnavigation device on the market,” said Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s chiefexecutive officer. “As one of the best selling consumer electronic brands, wesee a fast growing category that requires products to be robust andsophisticated in order to meet drivers’ needs. The product range we unveiltoday is the next generation TomTom GO, featuring significant improvements indesign and usability, including hardware, software, connectivity and newcontent & services.” New TomTom GO range The new product line totally reinvents last year’s award-winning rangeand includes three models, the TomTom GO 910, TomTom GO 710 and TomTom GO510. Building on the features that have made TomTom devices so popular, thenew TomTom GO range offers: – New cutting-edge design – High quality, extra wide, 4 inch LCD touch screen – a world’s first inportable navigation, making the new TomTom GO range even easier in use – Greatly improved GPS performance – Hundreds of features and software improvements – The new GO range comes with the free software application TomTom HOME.Serving as a portal it enables users to easily manage, download and storecontent from their computer – Every new TomTom GO comes with the HOME dock, enabling users to connectto TomTom HOME through their computer – The renowned hands-free calling functionality has improved further andthe pre-installed Safety Camera database is now available across the range,making it even easier and safer to navigate to your destination – The TomTom GO 910 is the first ever portable navigation devicefeaturing multi-continental map coverage including the whole of Europe, theUSA and Canada. It also has a range of smart extras such as a fullyintegrated MP3 player for playing audiobooks, music and podcasts as well astext-to-speech functionality New and updated TomTom PLUS content & services TomTom PLUS is TomTom’s complete offering of content and services toenhance users’ navigation experience and make journeys as stress free,personal, safe and fun as possible. To TomTom’s already substantial TomTomPLUS offering (Voices, Traffic, Weather and Safety Cameras), TomTom has addedAudiobooks and Buddies. In addition, TomTom has improved and expanded theTomTom Traffic service to include Road Conditions. Other updated servicesinclude TomTom Weather and TomTom Safety Cameras. TomTom PLUS is nowavailable in the majority of Europe and the USA. TomTom RDS/TMC Traffic Receiver TomTom has added a TomTom RDS/TMC Traffic Receiver to the list ofavailable accessories, to enable users to receive free ongoing trafficinformation via radio signals. The RDS/TMC Traffic Receiver connects easilyto the new TomTom GO device and will automatically start receiving trafficinformation via the TMC connection. The new product range will be available from the 1st April and the pricewill be announced soon. About TomTom TomTom NV is a leading provider of personal navigation products andservices. TomTom’s products are developed with an emphasis on innovation,quality, ease of use and value. TomTom’s products include all-in-onenavigation devices which enable customers to navigate right out of the box;these are the award-winning TomTom GO family, the TomTom ONE and the TomTomRIDER. TomTom also provides navigation software products which integrate withthird party devices; the TomTom Navigator software for PDA’s and TomTomMOBILE navigation software for smart phones. TomTom PLUS, is thelocation-based content and services offering for TomTom’s navigationproducts. TomTom WORK combines industry leading communication and smartnavigation technology with leading edge tracking and tracing expertise.TomTom was founded in 1991 in Amsterdam and has offices in the Netherlands,the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the United States of America,Australia, China and Taiwan. TomTom’s products are sold through a network ofleading retailers in 20 countries and online.
Unicon MBridge WiFi Device to Ship in Q2
Unicon MBridge, the much-anticipated WiFi device that the company says can eliminate computers from your life, sent out a flyer with new pictures and details, and announced a Q2 ship date. The 3” x 5” x 0.75”, 6.5-ounce handheld device will wirelessly connect to the Internet, letting you download MP3s, exchange pictures, and access chat and e-mail without using a PC. You’re even able to crop and tweak pictures after you receive them from your digital camera and before you upload them to an online service. The MBridge will have two USB 2.0 ports, connect at 11Mbps using 802.11b and will be available in gray, red or black. No price was announced yet. via gizmodo.com
Opera 8.5 for Pocket PC (Beta 2) Released
Opera 8.5 Pocket PC beta version is based on the same core as the Opera 8.5 desktop browser and brings the full internet to mobile Pocket PCs. The version is available for both WM 2003 and WM 5.0. Features Open URL with auto-complete Zoom Download Tabs – NEW! Navigation and history Bookmarks Landscape/Portrait Mode Full screen/ Fit to screen Pop-up handler Pad-lock icon on secure sites User preferences Context menu Check it here:
Google.mobi goes live
Mobilemag has learned that the .mobi Google website is now live. It will be searching mobile news sources and listing them for online viewing. This is particularly noteworthy because the .mobi domain is not set for commercial launch until later this summer, so Google is way ahead of the curve.The .mobi domain is designed to clearly identify internet sites and applications that have been made for mobile devices. This news makes sense in the wake of news coming from Google this morning that they are providing Google News for phones. For now you can access it by going to http://news.google.mobi/news?output=xhtml on your phone browser according to the announcement, but this is just the first step towards google.mobi being the destination for mobile information. The company also announced that they are working with Sony Ericsson to provide phone-sized versions of Google Web Search and Blogger. Google is obviously positioning themselves to continue to be at the forefront of whatever comes from this new domain. via mobilemag.com
Kevtris (Free Tetris Clone) Updated for WM5 240×240 Devices
Kevtris 1.1 has been released. New features include WM5 support (including soft menus and square-screen device support), better graphics, and more. Best of all, it’s still free.New Version 1.1! Support for Windows Mobile 5 Support for square screens (240×240) Support for QVGA Smartphones Sound can be toggled Better piece shadows New graphics One installer for both Smartphone and PocketPC Download from PocketGearIf the link does not work, download from this siteAlternatively, download the CAB file
EMXI 700: a smartphone with digital keyboard and WiFi
Fifth Media is preparing the release of its EMXI 700 smartphone. It is powered by Windows Mobile OS and meant for GSM networks. There is the support of Wi-Fi wireless networks. The smartphone is equipped with a digital keyboard like in an ordinary phone. The details on the specs are not clear yet.
The EMXI 700 is likely to be exhibited at CeBIT show in March starting next week. Fifth Media hasn’t provided any details on the release date, however the website of VIPN (Voice Internet Phone Network), the company to release the device, suggests it will be available in 2Q 2006.
Verizon To Release Motorola Q Next Week?
We’re not sure how reliable the source is, but in an interview this week, a Motorola design manager told one of your faithful Gizmodo newshounds that the Q could be released as soon as next week. What makes us think it might be legit? He was holding a working model in his hands, and it was up and running on Verizon’s network.Our first impressions from holding it in our hot little hands for a few minutes: this sucker’s extremely thin, although a bit wider than our Treo 650. The screen is a bit squat for our liking, though, even if it’s crisp; with the soft-key icons running along the bottom and an info bar across the top, we weren’t able to display a ton of information on it all at once. On the flip side, though, the buttons have a nice tactile feel; and the side jog-dial is pretty handy indeed. Maybe the GSM version will be even more sexy? Only time will tell. via us.gizmodo.com
Vodafone K.K. mobile phones to have face recognition
Vodafone K.K. subscribers in Japan will get to have their faces for passwords, the software can be credited to Oki Electric Industry’s face sensing technology.Oki’s Face Sensing Engine (FSE) will replace the current password system or feature in Vodafone K.K. units. Instead of keying in a password, the user will instead have to submit to a facial scan in order to use the unit. The sensor will be integrated in the Vodafone 904SH mobile phone which is slated to be released in April. Succeeding 3G mobile phones of Vodafone K.K. will also have the FSE as a standard feature.The new password system is more convenient as the user does not need to memorize and key in alphanumeric characters to activate the phone anymore. Password recognition and processing is also faster since Oki boasts that its FSE has the fastest verification rate compared to other similar devices or technology. Oki also guarantees that the sensors would be able to conduct reliable scans regardless of the lighting condition. It also assures accurate readings despite changes in facial features that are brought about by different facial expression.The integration of the FSE into the mobile units will not result to a significant increase in handset price as Oki said that the technology costs little. It would also not entail any inconvenience or require extra equipment as it is embedded in the mobile phone. And besides, how can you lose your face? via mobilemag.com
Nokia gets back its 35% market share: survey
The biggest mobile phone vendor, the Finnish company Nokia is back at 35% global market share after a dramatic fall in 2004, according to the survey. It took the cell phones from Finland almost two years to resume its position lost in 2004 after the company failed to introduce popular folding phones, and it can take its 40% market share again, market research group Gartner said. “I think it is still a hard target to get, but it looks definitively more possible now than when they were talking about it a year ago,” said analyst Carolina Milanesi after Gartner published 4Q shipments of cell phones to consumers. The market share of Nokia with sales to consumers is higher than the 34.2% market share based on already published shipments to distributors, i.e. more Nokia phones found their way to end users than phones from other manufacturers. According to this survey, almost all big vendors increased their shares on the global market. * Motorola from 16.3% to 17.8% * Samsung lost slightly to 12.1% against 12.2% * LG from 6.8% to 7.2% * Sony Ericsson from 6.3% to 6.9% * BenQMobile which took over Siemens handset business slipped to 4.7% from 6.5%.Gartner expects the total handset market to grow by 10-15% in 2006 from the 817 million handsets sold to consumers in 2005. via Reuters.com