It’s that time of the week again, where we cover the mobile phone news stories you may have otherwise missed.
1. Concept to Become Reality Shocker?
At first, it seemed as if the Motorola Nest concept phone may become reality according to this DVICE story, however closer examination of the comments section reveals an answer from the designer herself, who quashes the rumour. What a shame, as this beautiful design is just what Motorola needs to revive its mobile business.
2. BillMonitor.com Launches.
If you want to easily work out which mobile tariff is the best for you, then follow the link to BillMonitor.com, where after answering a few questions, the website compares all the available plans and provides an answer. It can even read your online bill to see how to save money!
3. Sony to Introduce Face Recognition for Music Selection?
They could call it SeeMe. Sony Ericsson have applied for a patent on software which generates a music playlist based on facial expressions, something like its SensMe mood-based playlist generator, but dependent on whether you’re happy, sad or angry. Interesting!
4. Nokia 1100 Affair – Truth?
You may recall the story of the little Nokia 1100 reaching huge prices on the aftermarket due to a hack which made it possible to ‘clone’ other phones and thus intercept private data. Well, it seems Ultrascan, who first uncovered the problem, have managed to recreate the exploit! While it may not directly affect many of us, it should make us more aware of the importance of securing our data.
5. HTC Tweak Android.
HTC are well known for their TouchFLO user interface which overlays Windows Mobile on their handsets, however we considered Android to be far more finger friendly, so we didn’t expect an HTC makeover. This video though, claims to show ‘Rosie’, the codename for HTC’s tweaked version of Android which includes several of their familiar services. It all looks very smooth too!
6. BlackBerry Storm Seen Not Working on Video!
The people over at Engadget Mobile show considerable restraint when their super-secret Storm 2 refuses to power up beyond the first screen. It’s still an interesting watch though, as if it turns out to be real, then SurePress has indeed left the building and been replaced with a capacitive touchscreen.
7. More Acer Android Speculation.
Further credibility has been added to the rumour that Acer will be releasing an Android smartphone by the end of the year. Acer’s head of smartphones has said they are planning a summer launch of their touchscreen phone, which will be priced at feature, rather than smart phone level.
8. Japan Gets Sharp Aquos Branded 10 MP Phone!
Wow, we love this flip phone from Sharp, especially as it has a 10 megapixel camera and a swiveling 3.3″ WVGA display which becomes the viewfinder!
9. Nokia Open Unused Patents to Other Companies.
Here’s a good idea, Nokia have opened up their archives of unused patents for other Finnish companies to use and develop, in a bid to ignite the economy after months of decline. Nokia are interviewing hopefuls with a view to supporting 100 final projects.
10. Concept to Become Reality Shocker?
At first, it seemed as if the Motorola Nest concept phone may become reality according to this DVICE story, however closer examination of the comments section reveals an answer from the designer herself, who quashes the rumour. What a shame, as this beautiful design is just what Motorola needs to revive its mobile business.
10. Nokia’s Ovi Maps Updated.
Exploring the latest Ovi Maps service is something worth doing, as it’s very impressive! Nokia have updated it to include 2D and 3D rendering, satellite and terrain maps and 3D images of landmarks, details of which have been provided by company’s like Lonely Planet, so the information is excellent. Details on how to download it for your PC or Symbian S60 device can be found here.
