gps

Nokia: New E-series phones due in Q3

Paul Mah — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:39:37 -0400

There is no let-up at the world's largest cell phone maker, Nokia. The company is scheduled to start selling a new range of its popular, business-centric E-series smartphones in Q3. Though Nokia declined comment, industry speculation says the models are the new E66 and E71. Both phones are expected to come with features such as a built-in GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and 128-megabytes of memory.

Nokia also will start selling its top-of-the-line N96 multimedia phone, first unveiled back in February. It will replace the best-selling N95, of which 6 million units were sold. In other news, American Technology Research downgraded Nokia's rating from "buy" to "hold" in lieu of "a competitive response from Nokia" to Apple's 3G iPhone announcement.

For more about Nokia:
- check out the mocoNews.net article

BlackBerry 9000 shows up on eBay

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Given the love that BlackBerrys get from the suit and tie set, chances are that more than a few of you are frothing at the mouth at the very thought of laying hands on the as-yet-unannounced BlackBerry 9000 and its built-in BlackBerry OS 4.x. Well, somebody out there has one in their pocket as we speak: two BlackBerry 9000 units appeared on eBay a few days ago, only to disappear after a few hours (it's unclear whether the auctions ended or if eBay pulled the listings at RIM's insistence). Regardless, the photos in the auction looked quite legit and the units pictured are nearly identical to those seen in previous "spy shots." According to the auction listing, the 9000 will feature 3G (HSDPA), EDGE, WiFi and Bluetooth. The Boy Genius Report goes one further, claiming that A-GPS will also be thrown into the mix, along with a microSD card slot and a 2-megapixel camera. That's a lot of wireless radios for a BlackBerry, so it's not surprising to hear that the device is currently experiencing some battery life issues. Pending the resolution of those problems, RIM should have this one out the door by July or August.

For more on the BlackBerry 9000:
- see this Engadget article
- and this Boy Genius Report article

ALSO NOTED: WiMAX Nokia N810 goes on sale; T-Mobile confirms an Android phone in '08;

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> AT&T gets GPS-enabled Blackberry Pearl 8110. Article
> Acer to launch Windows Mobile device. Article
> WiMAX Nokia N810 goes on sale but there's still no WiMAX. Article
> Helio adds push Gmail support. Article
> T-Mobile confirms that it will have an Android phone this year. Article

And Finally... Comcast launching wireless service? Article

ALSO NOTED: Palm loses $31.5 million; RIM gets security ultimatum from Indian government;

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> HTC Shift gets EV-DO for U.S. release. Article
> Palm loses $31.5 million, no new handsets until summer. Article
> T-Mobile grabs the BlackBerry 8820. Article
> Asus prepping Eees with touchscreen, possibly GPS. Article
> RIM gets security ultimatum from Indian government. Article

And Finally... WiMAX operator calls technology a "disaster." Article

GPS devices sprout new features

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

Not very long ago, it was considered enough of a miracle for a portable personal GPS device to accurately tell you where you were and where you'd been, and to give a bit of help on the question of where you planned on going. Now, of course, GPS devices can do a great deal more, playing MP3 files, helping to navigate around traffic delays, making telephone calls, and going onto the Internet to find the latest movie times and restaurant guides. Judging from the systems on display at CES, the portfolio of capabilities isn't going to be getting any smaller. Garmin's latest, the Nuvi 880 and 780, will get constantly-updated information from MSN Direct. While Garmin turns to Microsoft, Magellan has announced plans to partner with Google. Cell phones with GPS are barely the tip of the iceberg, these days...it's the GPS devices themselves that are likely to be making the calls.

For more on the newest generation of GPS devices:
- Read the technology coverage at CIO-Today

Beyond standard GPS

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

The convenient positioning information of GPS--available everywhere and all the time--is critical for many commercial applications and essential for spy-thriller movie plots. Unfortunately, in normal operation, it's not nearly as accurate or universally accessible as the movie plots would have us believe. A small Utah-based company, S5 Wireless, wants to pick up where GPS leaves off, with a terrestrial-antenna-based system that a company founder describes as a "poor man's LoJack or OnStar." The company plans to begin build-out of its antenna system next year, with initial installations in major cities and a gradual expansion across the country. If you thought something like Google's "My Location" was a privacy threat, wait until gum-stick sized radios are available at low cost. Position-tracking may be in for a huge change.

For more on S5's wireless plans:
- Read the service plan article at CIO-Today

Does 'My Location' threaten privacy?

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Lately, it's been hard to find a wireless arena in which Google isn't making news. Here's one, though, that might not have made it to your business radar: Google's "My Location" feature within Google Maps for phones is being viewed as a possible privacy risk. The system, which provides an approximate user location based on cell-tower triangulation rather than GPS, is described by Google as completely anonymous, but privacy advocates, pointing to recent stories of federal agents requesting cell phone user data, say you can't be too careful. It makes Google's plan for WiMAX seem very simple by comparison.

For more on the possible "My Location" risk:
- Read the security analysis at CIO-Today

HTC Touch Cruise announced

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

If Microsoft technology reigns supreme in your enterprise, there's probably little question of which mobile operating system to go with. But which Windows Mobile device is right for you? It all depends on who's going to be using it, what applications are needed and what the budget is like. For the high-level exec, however, there's usually no good reason not to go all out. At the moment, we would tend to think that AT&T's HTC Tilt would be a pretty strong contender for the c-level suite. After all it, has 3G, WiFi, GPS, Push-to-talk, a touchscreen, a full QWERTY keypad and just about anything else you can think of. If HTC's newest device offers any indication of things to come, however, a little intra-company competition might be on the way. Say hello to the HTC Touch Cruise, the successor to the Touch, which launched Stateside on the Sprint network just last month. The Touch Cruise is essentially a sleeker, thinner version of the Touch, with GPS and TomTom Navigator 6 software thrown into the mix. Additionally you'll find HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3 megapixel camera, a microSD expansion slot, a 2.8 inch touchscreen and Windows Mobile 6 along for the ride. And unlike the Tilt, this one comes with HTC's TouchFLO interface installed on top of WM6. Sure, there's no QWERTY keypad but if the exec in your life is willing to use a stylus-friendly onscreen keyboard, this little guy could just be the ticket. Available now in Europe and hopefully soon elsewhere in the world.

For more on HTC's Touch Cruise:
- watch this video demo (via coolsmartphone.com)
- see this article from coolsmartphone.com

New Nokia 810 Internet tablet

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Nokia has announced a new Internet tablet, the successor to the N800. The new tablet takes the "web on the go" features of the N800 and adds capabilities for VoIP, GPS, and Web 2.0 multi-media browsing. On the heels of new cell phones like the iPhone-competitor N95, the N810 positions Nokia as a provider with a very broad wireless device line. Now, about that Internet tablet with a 3G cell phone built in...

For more on the new Nokia N810:
- check out DailyTechRag's photos and hands-on impressions of the device

QUICKLINKS: Sun may whack GPS; RFID security concerns;

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:01:35 -0400

> Sun may whack GPS article

> Security concerns for RFID article

> LG goes native Google article

> Motorola mesh gear trade-in offer article