Gizmodo: mobile phone

Estonia Will Be the First Country to Elect Politicians Using Mobile Phones

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:20:00 EST

Instant democracy is getting closer. In 2011, Estonians will be able to elect their representatives using cellphones. How would it work and, more importantly, will it actually work?

Raul Kaidro, who is the spokesman of the SK Certification Center in Estonia, says that it will be easy and secure: The voters will just need to previously obtain a free authorized chip. This chip will have an encrypted digital signature, which will allow them to identify themselves and vote using a text message.

The mobile voting will not be the only way to vote: It will be an additional method to online and on-site voting, all of them connected to a central database for instant identification and registration of the vote.

While some think digital voting will open a can of worms, it seems that this is not going to be the case. An independent security audit has certified that the process—which Sweden and Finland would eventually use as well—is completely secure and tamper-proof. In addition to that, their previous experience with online voting in 2007—which also used digital ID cards—was a success.

On the other side, if there is one thing history has shown to us is the fact that there's no 100% secure system... but then again, look at what happens in the US with on-site machines. In other words, if someone wants to do something illegal, they would do it now—with on-site voting—and in the future—with online or mobile voting. I prefer the convenience of the later. [AP]

Nokia Smart Home Solution Puts Power of Control Onto Your Cellphone

Elaine Chow — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:30:00 EST

With energy conservation and easy eco-friendliness on just about everybody's agenda these days, one of the most popular concepts is the “Smart Home,” a living environment that knows just how much power you actually need to be comfortable and gives you not a drop more. Nokia's hopping on that wagon with its new Nokia Home Control Center, a Linux-based platform that will control your house's resources via your mobile phone.

According to Nokia, the NHCC will allow third-party developers to create services that are added onto the accessibility platform. That way, you'll rarely come across an incident where some new smart home tech you bought doesn't actually work with your main controller. NHCC works with Z-Wave, ZigBee and KNX, three of the most common command languages for home networks. It will be launched some time in 2009. [Nokia via Treehugger]

Opera Mini 4.2 Boosts YouTube Support, Gets Snazzy New Skins

Elaine Chow — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:00:01 EST

Opera is releasing a preview of the next update to its mobile web browser, Opera Mini 4.2. The beta release offers improved support for YouTube, the ability to play nice with a wider selection of phones, note sharing between phones and PCs and a selection of new skins for greater customization. Best of all, it's still free. Download it from the Opera website.

20 million use Opera Mini worldwide

New beta version and server park launched today

Oslo, Norway = November 11, 2008 - Opera today released a preview of
Opera Mini 4.2, the newest version of the world's most popular mobile
Web browser that works on almost every mobile phone. With this beta
release, Opera celebrates Opera Mini being the browser of choice for
more than 20 million unique monthly users worldwide. As part of the
celebration, Opera Mini users in the United States and Asia-Pacific
region can now experience faster browsing speeds, due to the addition
of an Opera Mini server park in the United States.

Opera Mini is available to download for beta testing at
http://www.operamini.com/beta/.

"The number of people using Opera Mini worldwide proves that there is
a true revolution going on: people want to access all their favorite
Web sites on the mobile phone they have today," says Jon von
Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. "We constantly focus on developing a faster and
more personal browsing experience. Opera Mini 4.2 beta is an update
that takes mobile Web browsing to the next level."

Opera Mini 4.2 beta provides a more personalized experience with its
colorful selection of new skins, improved support for YouTube and
other mobile video services on a wider selection of mobile phones.
Improvements in Opera Link allow users to share notes between their
mobile phones and PCs, in addition to their bookmarks and
recently-visited URLs.

"Opera Mini is a mobile application to be reckoned with," says John
Jackson, Vice President, Yankee Group. ?We have witnessed a 10%
average growth in the number of Opera Mini users worldwide every
month, with every indication that the trend will continue. As the
browser keeps improving in speed and functionality and end-user
awareness expands, Opera Mini's popularity to users worldwide should
continue to grow."

"I love Opera Mini, because when it comes to functionality, there is
nothing 'mini' about it," says Meri-Tuuli Fagerlund, a student from
Finland. "I use Opera Mini daily to access the Web, and the best part
is that I do not have to carry my laptop when I have Opera Mini in my
pocket."

To join the other Opera Mini fans and to show us how you use the Opera
Mini browser, check out Choose Opera at http://chooseopera.com/.

Opera Mini 4.2 beta is a free download from http://www.operamini.com/beta/.

About the use of Opera Mini

Since the worldwide launch of Opera Mini in January 2006, millions of
people have experienced the mobile Internet for the first time. Due to
its unique architecture, Opera Mini does not discriminate between
platforms or networks; it runs on nearly any mobile phone in any
geographic region. During the month of September 2008, Opera reported
19 million unique monthly users of Opera Mini, a 10.1% month-on-month
increase from August 2008 and more than 341% compared to September
2007. Opera Mini users viewed more than 4.5 billion pages during
September and each person using Opera Mini viewed approximately 238
pages on average. On November 11, 2008, Opera reported 20 million
unique monthly users of Opera Mini. For more information, go to
Opera's State of the Mobile Web report http://www.mobilewebreport.com/.

About Opera Software ASA

Opera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones
and other networked devices. Opera's cross-platform Web browser
technology is renowned for its performance, standards compliance and
small size, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online
experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with
offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at

http://www.opera.com/.

You Are Not Rich, Sophisticated, or Handsome Enough to Own the Tag Heuer Meridiist Phone

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Watchmaker Tag Heuer has put up a teaser video for their forthcoming Meridiist phone, and boy is it a slap in the face to everyday Joe Sixpacks like you and me.

The phone isn't really, as one suit in the video notes, "A very nice... a very nice PIECE OF ART," but when the big innovation is bringing the stunning features of wristwatches to mobile phones (that's right, the Meridiist has a built-in clock!), you can't blame them for reaching a bit. The phone's selling points: made from the finest rubber (?) and alligator skin, creating a "sensual experience," and to top it off, it is "in some way the first pocket watch of the 21st century!" Never mind that it looks like the obese offspring of my first Nokia candybar from 1998 and an HTC Touch Diamond, conceived in a French executive's board room— it's expensive and so you must want one. [Thanks, Nebosja!]

LG VX9600, Little Brother to the Dare, Passes FCC Testing

Elaine Chow — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:22:22 EDT

LG's VX9600 has finally gotten the go-ahead from the FCC and may appear on Verizon shelves everywhere soon. Though information is scarce, the phone will have Bluetooth, an MP3 player, a 2 megapixel camera and a 3-inch 480x240 pixel TFT touchscreen. Verizon is allegedly planning to market it as a lower-end, and thus cheaper, version of its iPhone contender, the Dare. Neither company has officially announced the phone yet so no word on pricing or availability. [Phone Arena]

Sony Ericsson Planning to Offer Unlimited Music Service

Elaine Chow — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:56:00 EDT

Following on the heels of its main rival Nokia, Sony Ericsson's allegedly also planning an unlimited music downloading service for its Walkman-branded cellphones. According to the Financial Times, Sony Ericsson is in discussions with all major labels about a rival tunes subscription service.

The company is purportedly hoping to announce its all-you-can-eat music product before the end of September, with a launch date in Europe before Christmas. Right now, Walkman phones function on a pay-per-track business model, with roughly 5 million un-DRM-ed songs available. If its unlimited service is similarly DRM-free, it might have a chance at one-upping Nokia's Comes With Music buffet after all. One can only hope. [Financial Times]

James Bond's Sony Ericsson C902 Cybershot to go Public

Kit Eaton — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:10:00 EDT

Sometimes the strangest part of writing for Giz is decoding press releases: like this morning's Sony Ericsson one. Did they leave out an image of the upcoming special limited-edition C902 Cybershot James Bond phone to add to the mystery? Is it supposed to be kinda secret, à la Bond himself? Who knows: luckily T3 snagged a picture of the "titanium silver" phone. 007 himself uses it in the movie Quantum of Solace, and you can get your hands on one too. Hardware-wise the phone is unchanged from the 5-megapixel camera original, but will come with 007-themed content, including a "spy-style" game. Quite how this makes sure you're "ready for any challenge" I'm not sure. It's a mystery. As is price and release date. Blimey, Sony Ericsson's really good at this cloak-and-dagger stuff isn't it? [Sony Ericsson and T3]

Xperia X1 Delayed Till 2009?

Haroon Malik — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST

We brought you news that Sony Ericsson's first Windows Mobile smartphone would ship mid 2008, however, the guys at Sony Ericsson Blog have spotted an official Sony Ericsson webpage showing the expected release date as 10/02/2009.

Considering Sony Ericsson Blog are as reliable as a really reliable source, and that they have pointed us in the direction of an official webpage backing their claim, this looks to be solid. If true, the wow factor of the Xperia X1 just may fade a little; who knows what we may see by 2009? We'll bring you any updates as we receive them, but a delay would surely suck big time for those awaiting the Windows Mobile 6.1 running, dual touch and QWERTY sliding, sexy beast that is the Xperia X1. [Sony Ericsson via Sony Ericsson Blog]

Panasonic Viera Phone Brings Quality TV Viewing to Your Handset

Haroon Malik — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:49:00 EST

The P950iTV cellphone, which will be a Japan-only release, is the first Panasonic handset to carry the Viera branding. The TV-centric features will include a 3.5-inch 262k color display (854 x 480!); video playback at 30 fps, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, TV and audio out ports, as well as more traditional features, including HSDPA connectivity, 2MP camera and SDHC memory slot. We sure would like to tune into Futurama on the P50iTV, but as ever, the Japanese have all the great gadget fun. [Trusted Reviews via Ubergizmo]

A Phone so Soft and Squeezable, You Will Want to Replace Your Charmin With It

Sean Fallon — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:00:34 EST

The "Softphone" concept phone from designer Quian Jiang utilizes a series of discs with electronically wired cotton fabric stretched in between. The benefit to a phone like this would be that one could fold up the keyboard to save space while the bulk of the electronics are housed inside a tiny clip made out of silica—which would also be soft. Another potential benefit is that the phone could be squeezed to engage actions like ending a call.

And since the phone is so squeezably soft, you can rest assured in the knowledge that if you were caught in a code red situation with no toilet paper in sight, you always have a backup option. As mentioned, the Softphone is a concept device at the moment, and while a pliable phone is certainly a viable idea, my guess is that this particular version will not be on store shelves anytime soon. [Yanko Design]

Samsung Soul Has Mighty Morphing Touchpad Display

Haroon Malik — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:55:50 EST

Samsung's Ultra Edition range will get a revamp with their new Soul, a 7.2Mbps HSDPA cellphone which, at only 12.9mm thick, it comes with auto focus 5MP camera, 2.2" 320 x 240 pixel full-color display, SD slot and a touchpad display system that will morph the user interface, changing icons according to the application you are using. For example, in music mode playback controls will appear, but whilst sending an SMS these will be replaced with editing functions. The rest of the specs are quite nice too.

[Akihabara]

Purple Magic is Sub-$100 Linux 3G Cellphone, Not Recreational Drug

Haroon Malik — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST

The fellows at NXP Semiconductors and Purple Labs have teamed up to put together the Purple Magic 3G cellphone. The Linux based handset will retail below $100, and if that does not have you interested, perhaps the video calling ability, incorporated MP3 player and high-speed internet browsing will have your bargain alarms hitting overdrive.

The cellphone will seamlessly switch between 2G and 3G networks depending on availability, and the creators hope to define a new niche in the market, where functionality does not come at too steep a price. The Purple Magic handset will be showcased at the Mobile World Congress later this month, but is said not to have any of the euphoric effects of purple haze—major downer. Nevertheless, we'll be sure to ~~try and smoke it~~ give it a grope when we get to Barcelona. [Slashphone]

Design Competition Brings Artistic Elegance to Cellphone Concepts

Haroon Malik — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:00:00 EST

Those arty chaps at the Royal College of Art have created some great looking mobile phone concepts. The designs were put together for a competition that was sponsored by the cellular network 3. The runners-up included the Vase phone, which begins as an empty "vessel," but has features added to it gradually, according to the user's needs. The Teiko cellphone was designed for children, incorporating GPS for parental tracking and a rugged general construction.

The LED cellphone had a simple layout, with basic functions illuminating according to need. (Coincidentally, that isn't too dissimilar to a concept we have seen before. Borrowing inspiration were we, Mr Art Student?) The overall winner was the Free Key, which had 40 programmable keys beneath a flexible LCD screen. Check out the lot in the gallery above. [BBC via Textually]

Sony Ericsson Patent Details Detachable Cellphone Display

Haroon Malik — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:00:04 EST

A recently uncovered Sony Ericsson patent details a cellphone with a detachable screen. The utility of such a function is not openly discussed in the document, but we cannot help thinking it would have little benefit over other equivalent designs. The image depicts a clamshell phone, which means if this were a touchscreen, users could discriminate between which data entry method, but doesn't the HTC Dual Touch solve this problem a little more succinctly? It is an interesting idea for sure, but we really cannot see a place for the LEGO-esque cellphone. Any ideas? [Unwired View]

Sharp's Full Face 2 Cellphone Brings iNevitable Comparisons

Haroon Malik — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:36:19 EST

The Full Face 2 reminds me of another phone but, in my humble opinion, Sharp's slim cell looks better from the front than the iPhone does. Beyond its appealing looks, however, it doesn't heat up the competition all that much. The display is a 3.2-inch multi-touch-less LCD (480 x 854), it has a 3.2MP camera, micro SDHC support, totes HSDPA, a 1Seg TV tuner that will be all but useless in the States, and will be available in either black, soft pink, champagne gold, white or ice blue. The Full Face 2 is a Japan-only release—I can't believe I got to put the words "full," "face" and "release" in the same sentence without making it naughty. Bravo, Sharp. [Akihabara News]

Hitachi W61H Cellphone Packs E-Ink Display on its Bum

Haroon Malik — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:26:26 EST

Hitachi has just debuted its W61H cellphone, which packs a 2.7-Inch E-Ink display on its reverse side. The display, which has been dubbed the Silhouette Screen, will be able to show off one of 95 pre-set graphics, but beyond the aesthetics the E-Ink offering has, it seems to have little other utility. (No caller data, time, date or SMS information can be viewed.) Jump for another shot.

The W61H will have a 2.8-inch internal WQVGA display (240 x 400), 1.97MP camera and an onboard 2GB micro SD (non-expandable.) The E-Ink phone goodness will last 250 minutes of call time on a single charge, and will most likely never get the chance to live the American dream (it's a Japan only release). [AVING]

No Google, Verizon GPhone Deal Imminent Says Infoweek Source

Sean Fallon — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:20:42 EDT

According to an Infoweek source, a Google / Verizon deal is not currently in the cards and Verizon is "unlikely to be the first operator to sign on with Google." This contradicts recent rumors that a Sprint / Verizon deal could come in the next few weeks. Don't you get the feeling that no one really knows what is going on here? [Infoweek]

"Mobile Fitting" Lets You Try On Glasses Via Your Cell Phone

Sean Fallon — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:10:25 EDT

Nearsighted nerds may soon have one less reason to personally interact with the outside world thanks to a technology that allows users to "virtually" try on glasses via their cell phones. Here's how it works: customers take a quick snapshot of themselves and then combine it with images of glasses downloaded from the merchant's mobile website. This "Mobile Fitting" service is currently being utilized in Japan's Megane Top ("Top Glasses") superstore, and there are no plans to branch out beyond that as far as we know. If it is effective, perhaps the same sort of technology could be employed for clothing as well. That way, I won't have to stand idly by when my girlfriend wants to spend 2 hours trying on one pair of pants. [alook via Digital World Tokyo]

T-Phone Concept For the Elderly, Lazy

Sean Fallon — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:10:38 EDT

Nine digits, that's a hell of a lot of numbers to remember—especially if you suffer from what many of my elderly relatives call "senior moments." And forget about trying to explain contact lists and voice dialing, it's all witchcraft as far as they are concerned. This T-Phone concept from designer Jeong-Kyun Nam aims to make things a little easier with its unique RFID badge dialing system. Each badge can be programed to remember someone's number, and a picture slot makes identifying the correct badge easy. To make a call, all Grandma has to do is place the correct badge onto the call button and press. The phone will read the info and then dial the number.

If this phone were ever put into production, the easy to read buttons and large badges would make it easy for anyone with impaired vision to operate the device. Still, I can't help but envision old folks leaving these badges at every Denny's restaurant in town. [Yanko Design]

Quicksilver Mobile Phone Concept For Pac-Man Lovers

Sean Fallon — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:50:46 EDT

For one reason or another, Quicksilver (the guys who make surf clothes) decided to branch out—way out—with their very own mobile phone concept. The phone opens up Pac-Man style to reveal a larger screen, which is interesting, but by the looks of things it would be unwieldy to both carry and use. Stick to making stylish shorts that cover up my junk at the beach, okay guys? [JUSTAMPvia IntoMobile]