WiFi

BlackBerry KickStart: RIM's first flip phone

Mehan Jayasuriya — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:35:09 -0400

You may have thought that it would never happen. Well, it looks like you were wrong. RIM has gone and done the unthinkable: The company has developed a clamshell "flip phone" version of the BlackBerry. Known as the KickStart, the device looks somewhat like a regular clamshell device on the outside, though it sports the distinctive BlackBerry keypad and Pearl on the inside. Unfortunately, it's only got EDGE, but rounds out that package with a 2-megapixel camera, WiFi and internal and external QVGA displays. According to the Boy Genius Report, which is usually right on the money, we can expect to see the KickStart on T-Mobile around September.

For more on the KickStart:
- see this Boy Genius Report story

BlackBerry 9000 reviewed!

Mehan Jayasuriya — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:16:30 -0400

Remember that pair of BlackBerry 9000 units that popped up on eBay last week? Well, it turns out that one of the lucky auction winners was none other than a member of the CrackBerry.com crew. Of course, they did the responsible thing and published a review of the handset right away, before its existence has even been officially acknowledged by RIM. So what did they make of it? Judging by the review, they loved it. Granted, the reviewer definitely seems like a bit of a fanboy, so you might want to take his gushing enthusiasm with a grain of salt. Regardless, he liked the keyboard on the 9000 more than the 8800-series keyboard, was dazzled by the 480x320 resolution LCD display, and found the new BlackBerry OS, version 4.6, to be fast, responsive and intuitive. Just about the only downside he found was that the unit is physically larger than the 8800 series, though RIM has managed to utilize a few design tricks to hide the extra girth: "... the BlackBerry 9000’s battery casing is 'set into the phone,' reducing the bottom half of the device’s width, making it feel extremely thin when held in the hand." All-in-all, the reviewer found that the device's "Quad-band GSM/3G/WiFi/GPS... coupled to a fast processor and an amazing display," make for a strong flagship device for RIM's next-gen lineup.

For more on the BlackBerry 9000:
- see this CrackBerry.com review

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

Sharp-Willcom D4 first to sport Atom

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Eagerly awaiting Intel's forthcoming Atom platform for UMPCs and MIDs? Well, in that case, you'll be glad to hear that the first device based on the spec has finally shown its face: the Sharp-Willcom D4 WS016SH UMPC. In addition to a catchy name, the D4 sports a 1.3Ghz Atom Z520 CPU, an LED-backlit, 1024x600 touchscreen, a full QWERTY keypad, 1GB of RAM, 40GB of storage, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and Windows Vista Home Premium. It also can make phone calls using Japan's PHS system, and even includes an external Bluetooth device for voice calling. Don't expect to see this one outside of the Land of the Rising Sun, though it does offer a tantalizing taste of things to come.

For more on the first Atom device:
- see this Gizmodo article

Fring brings VoIP to iPhone

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Need to make a call on your iPhone but worried that you're going to use up all those precious minutes? Now there's a solution: Fring. The first native, true VoIP application for the iPhone, Fring doesn't require you to route your call through an analog VoIP bridge, like previous iPhone VoIP apps did. Using either SkypeOut or SIP, you can call landline/mobile numbers and you can even IM using Skype, Google, ICQ, MSN, Twitter, AIM, and Yahoo. Of course, you'll need a jailbroken iPhone to get in on the fun, but given the fact that Apple has vowed not to shut down VoIP over WiFi apps, we should see a legit version of Fring after Firmware 2.0 lands in June.

For more on Fring:
- see this press release

ALSO NOTED: HP 2133 Mini-Note gets delayed; Minneapolis give Muni-WiFi hope;

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> HP 2133 Mini-Note gets delayed. Article
> Google on Android: open ecosystems lead to innovation. Article
> AT&T/Starbucks WiFi rollout begins. Article
> Unlimited voice and data plans force carriers to upgrade. Article
> Minneapolis give Muni-WiFi hope. Article

And Finally... Samsung announces water-powered phone. Article

Sprint to launch new push-to-talk devices

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

It's been pretty quiet on the Sprint push-to-talk front for a while now, at least as far as new devices are concerned. But if Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's comments during his CTIA keynote are to be believed, the company will be reviving its push-to-talk line shortly with a slew of new devices. Unlike the previous Nextel network, the new push-to-talk service will run over Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network and will only require one number, which can be used for both mobile calls and PTT. New devices from Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo and LG will support this new service and will launch later this year. While that's all well and good, enterprise folks will be most excited to hear that the company also plans to launch a new WiFi-equipped BlackBerry device that will support PTT, though this device will run on Nextel's iDEN network, not Sprint's EV-DO network.

For more on the announcement:
- see this CTIA Live story

Hands on: Nokia N810 with WiMAX

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:59:57 -0400

WiMAX is the talk of the town at this year's CTIA Wireless show and everywhere you look, companies are demoing WiMAX devices, services and platforms. By far, the most talked about device is the WiMAX version of Nokia's N810 Internet tablet, a device that has been expected to debut at CTIA for a while now. We took it for a quick spin on the show floor and while the WiMAX network didn't seem blazing fast to us (we're told that interference on the show floor generally causes wireless devices to run a little slow), it was at least as fast as WiFi. In terms of the hardware itself, the device is almost exactly the same as the previous iteration of the N810, which we first scoped at CTIA IT last fall and we're also told that the pricing will be similar, when the WiMAX version lands in Q2. For a full walkthrough of the WiMAX setup process on the device, make sure to hit the link below.

For more on the N810:
- see this slideshow

Intel extends WiFi to 60 miles

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Getting broadband Internet out to rural areas has always been a challenge, and the methods proposed in the past--wireless data networks like WiMAX, mesh networking and femtocells--were anything but cheap. If Intel is to be believed, however, they've developed a new technology that could bring a signal to the far reaches of the globe for a couple of hundred bucks. The company's just-announced "Rural Connectivity Platform" (RCP) is said to extend the reach of a conventional WiFi signal to a whopping 60 miles, using specialized software and an antenna that can transmit data at around 6.5 megabits per second. What's more, a single RCP device costs only $500 and consumes so little power that it can be run off of a solar panel. No word yet on when we'll start seeing RCP--hopefully an official announcement from Intel is forthcoming.

For more on the new tech:
- see this article from Technology Review

First Look: iPhone firmware v2.0

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

While the enterprise-enabled version 2.0 iPhone firmware isn't scheduled to arrive until June, Apple is letting a select few folks nab a sneak peek at the in-development OS. Here's a few highlights from Engadget's recent hands-on:

"Exchange is so on! Changes are pushed over the network, but over WiFi it does check-ins, so it's not as instantaneous."
"Well, the branded Cisco VPN screen has definitely been added to the VPN settings. We couldn't really test this one, but assume it works as advertised. We don't yet know if it supports SecurID or other hardware token authenticators."
"By far our favorite new feature is multi-select in mail, though. Now when you hit edit you can select as many messages as you want and delete or move them as a group."

For more on the forthcoming firmware update:
- see this Engadget article