My favourite online shop, Expansys, have emailed to let me know that I can know pick up a WinMo 6 O/S Smartphone for under a ton! Yes, just less than 100 GBP (exc. postage) will see this little beauty making it’s way in to your ownership… highlighted features are:

• Operating System Windows Mobile™ 6 standard
• Integrated camera 2.0 megapixels
• Display 240X320, 2″ , 65K color TFT LCD
• Video Functions : MPEG4, WMV, H.264 , 3GP Both recording and playback
• Audio Functions : MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AAC+ Music background playing
• Messaging : SMS, MMS, Email, MSN, Mundu IM
• WLAN 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth® 2.0
• USB 2.0
• Internal memory: 128MB Flash ROM + 64MB DDR RAM
• Extended memory: microSD™ Card supported up to 2GB
• Weight 90g

In a period where we are all tightening our belts, you could do a lot worse than this - if you fancy a piece of BenQ pie, then visit Expansys here.

---
Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• BenQ T-80 at Computex
• BenQ T80 smartphone runs Windows Mobile
• BenQ re-emerges as LCD and projector manufacturer
• BenQ Siemens P51 PDA phone launched
• BenQ Mobile to BenQ: Give us more money for executive bonuses, or we’ll sue you

V900 & X610

Whilst we know that the X610's specs aren't screaming out "I'm fantastic", it's a pretty good looking device with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The more "I'm Fantastic" of these two is the V900, a device that can handle DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, and DAB broadcasts on a VGA display that certainly doesn't hurt its case.

So far, the launches on these two are noted simply as "soon," so best keep your eyes open for further release details (or subscribe to our blog via RSS)

We have been promised a trial of these units soon so again watch out for our usual un boxing video's and detailed reviews.

In the meantime lets have a look at the specs that come with these handsets.

Glowfiish V900

First of we will look at the V900:

• Windows Mobile^® 6.1 Professional (Crossbow)
• Samsung S3C 6400 533 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM
• 2.8", 640 x 480 (VGA), 65,536 colors, TFT-LCD
• 106 (L) x 60.5 (W) x 17(18.15) (H) mm
• 147g
• HSDPA / UMTS ( 2100 / 1900 / 850 MHz )
• Quad-Band GSM?850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• GPRS class 10 / EDGE class 10
• Bluetooth® v2.0 class 2 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate),
• WiFi IEEE802.11b/g Certificated
• Digital TV
• DVB-T / T-DMB
• GPS
• Embedded SiRF Star III chipset, TMC function supported*,
• FM 76 ~ 108MHz, support Channel Search
• FM Transmitter
• 87.5 ~ 108MHz
• Built-in 3.0 mega pixels Auto-Focus CMOS camera, up to 2048 x 1536 resolution
• 0.3 mega pixels Fixed-Focus CMOS camera for conference call usage
• MicroSD card slot
• Built-in microphone and speaker, external stereo headset jack, hands-free mode supported
• USB Sync, Composite TV out support
• Touch screen for stylus or fingertip, navigation button, power button, send/end button, record button, volume control, left soft-key, right soft-key
• Lithium Polymer rechargeable with 1,530 mAh capacity
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional, Microsoft® Office Outlook® Mobile (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Inbox), Picture, Notes, Microsoft® Office Word Mobile, Microsoft® Office Excel® Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, ActiveSync, Calculator, Game (Solitaire, Bubble Breaker), Voice Recorder, Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® Mobile, MSN® Messenger, Microsoft® Transcriber*, Windows Media® Player 10, Direct Push Technology, Microsoft Reader* (* subject to change by region)

E-TEN Exclusive Applications

• Phone Tools: Phone Application*, Phone Setting, SIM Toolkit, Speed Dial, Call Filter, Wireless Modem, Wireless Manager, Dialer Skin, Add Ringtone, CSD Type, Voice Commander*, Connection Wizard, SMS Sender, SIM Manager, Video Telephony (*subject to change by region)
• Multimedia Tools: Image Wizard, Image Maker, Multimedia Manager, Camera, Camcorder, FM Tuner* (*subject to change by region)
• MMS Composer* (*subject to change by region)
• Utilities: Quick Link, Battery Meter, Zoom SMS, Bluetooth Manager, M-Desk, Scenario, Backup Utility, Namecard Manager
• GPS Tools: Location SMS

Packing List

• Glofiish V900, stylus
• USB sync cable
• AC adapter
• headset
• leather case
• getting started CD
• quick start guide
• standard battery
• TV-out cable

Accessories (Optional)

• USB Sync Cable
• AC adapter
• car-charger
• car-mount
• battery pack
• Bluetooth® Headset
• leather case
• headset
• TV-out cable

Glowfiish X610

So now lets look across to the X610:

• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Samsung SC3 2442 400 MHz Processor
• 128 MB Flash ROM, 64 MB SDRAM
• 2.8", 320 x 240 (QVGA), 65,536 colors, TFT-LCD
• 107 x 58 x 14.7 mm
• 134g (with battery)
• GSM/EDGE Quad-band: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• GPRS/EGPRS Class B, Multi-slot Class 10
• Bluetooth® v2.0 class 2 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• WiFi IEEE802.11b/g Certificated
• GPS
• Embedded SiRF Star III chipset, TMC function supported*, (*subject to change by regions)
• Built-in 2.0 mega pixels, Fixed Focus CMOS, up to 1600 x 1200 resolution
• MicroSD card slot
• Built-in microphone and speaker, external stereo headset jack, hands-free mode supported
• Mini USB Sync, headset jack
• Touch screen for stylus or fingertip, navigation button, power button, 2 quick application buttons, send/end button, record button, volume control
• Lithium Polymer rechargeable with 1,530 mAh capacity
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional, Microsoft® Office Outlook® Mobile (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Inbox), Picture, Notes, Microsoft® Office Word Mobile, Microsoft® Office Excel® Mobile, Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® Mobile, Microsoft® Office OneNote® Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, ActiveSync, Calculator, Game (Solitaire, Bubble Breaker), Voice Recorder, MSN® Messenger, Windows Live ^TM, Microsoft® Transcriber*, Windows Media® Player 10, Direct Push Technology, Getting Started, Microsoft Reader* (* subject to change by regions)

Glofiish Exclusive Applications

• Phone Tools: Phone Application*, Phone Setting, SIM Toolkit, Speed Dial, Wireless Modem, Wireless Manager, Dialer Skin, CSD Type, Voice Commander*, Connection Wizard, SMS Sender, SIM Manager (*subject to change by regions)
• Multimedia Tools: Album, Camera, Camcorder, FM Tuner, MMS Composer
• Utilities: Spb Mobile Shell, Quick Link, Battery Meter, Zoom SMS, Scenario, Backup Utility, Quick Bar, Task Manager, Memory Optimization, Backup Utility, Default Setting, Application Recovery, System Information
• GPS Tools: Satellite Data Update (Not supported in USA), Location SMS, GPS Viewer
• Free Download Programs: Image Wizard, Image Maker, Birthday Reminder

(The programs are posted on the website: http://www.glofiish.com for downloading)

Packing List

• glofiish X610
• stylus
• USB sync cable
• AC adaptor
• headset
• leather case
• getting started CD
• quick start guide
• standard battery

Accessories (Optional)

• USB sync cable
• AC adaptor
• car-charger
• battery pack
• leather case
• headset

I'll let you make your own mind up as to which device is best of these two but for me I'm gonna go with the "I Don't look too great but I am fantastic" one.

Posted by: John

Pocketsize USB Speakerphone MV100 is a cool gadget for you, a heavy user of Yahoo IM, AIM, MSN Messenger, Apple iChat, Skype, WebEx, NetMeeting, Vonage, or Net2Phone. This USB powered inexpensive but great-sounding mini speaker will bring you the easiest way to do internet phone conference. The MV100 is a full-duplex user-friendly speaker and array microphone combination that allows you to have clear conversations through your internet connection, whether you’re at home, at work, or on the road. A headset is included for private conversations.

You can get this cool USB powered stuff for $17.99 at ThinkGeek.

The Gigabyte M912 (click to enlarge)

Introduction

People are beginning to wake up to the fact that for general all-round everyday computing tasks a hugely powerful, thirsty and expensive computer just isn’t required and, what use is a computer if it’s tethered to a desk back at home or in the office? 17” laptops are all very well, but if you have to carry one for any distance then the attraction soon pales and by default they almost become irrelevant. In steps the sub-notebook with its small form factor, adequate power for mail/web/media etc and a decent battery life. The Asus Eee PC started the current trend off, but in fact Psion were probably the first back in 2000 with their lovely little Netbook running their own superb O/S.

The M912 is one of the latest of the breed and at first glance would appear to be almost the ideal portable computer.

What’s in the box?

1. The Gigabyte M912.
2. Plug in wall charger.
3. Drivers/utilities CD.
4. Stylus
5. Carry case.
6. Quick-start guide

General

Gigabyte are perhaps better known for their motherboards, but they have actually been manufacturing laptops for quite some time now – they just aren’t one of the more well-known brands.

The form factor of the M912 is what we’ve come to expect: a sub notebook of Eee PC size with an 8.9” TFT screen. It’s conventional in all senses in terms of appearance, but literally with a slight twist on things - it has a swivel screen that allows it to transform into a tablet PC using a touch-screen interface (more of this later).

Control and ports:

On the front face: two speakers and the LCD touch screen.

Gigabyte M912 screen

On the left: Ethernet port, USB2.0 port, memory car slot, PC Express card slot.

Gigabyte M912 left side

On the right: power jack, VGA out, headphone socket, microphone socket, 2x USB2.0 ports, On/Off switch.

Gigabyte M912 right side

On the back: access to the battery

Gigabyte M912 Specification:

• CPU Intel ® Atom 1.6GHz
• Operating System : Genuine Microsoft Windows VISTA®Home Basic
• Chipset Intel ® 945GSE
• System Configuration Memory : 1GB, HDD 160GB
• LCD 8.9”LCD panel/WXGA 1280x768, w/Touch screen, LED Backlight, as 180° rotation angle
• HDD 2.5", 9.5mm S-ATA HDD
• Keyboard 80 key keyboard/Touch Pad
• I/O Port USB X 3,Mic in, Earphone out, D-SUB RJ45, Express card, SD/MMC/MS
• Audio Speaker 1.5 watt x 2
• Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
• Web Camera 1.3M pixel web camera
• Wireless LAN 802.11b/g by mini-card
• Protection Kensington lock
• Battery Li-ion 4500mAh, Battery life 3.5 hrs (claimed)
• Dimensions: 235 x 180 x 28~42mm
• Weight 1.3kg (include 2.5"HDD)

Highlights:

• Speedy performance.
• Lightweight.
• Ample connectivity.
• Good hardware specification.
• Fully featured powerful operating system.

Lowlights:

• Feels a little bit delicate.
• Screen is not one of the brightest and has a gritty appearance.
• On/Off button is small and placed in an unconventional position.
• Battery life is on the low side.

Review

The 912 uses Microsoft Vista Home Basic. Obviously it is a fully-featured operating system and once all of Vista’s eye candy was turned off, in use it felt responsive enough with applications launching quickly. Occasionally there was some lag with menus appearing, but I think this is probably more of a Vista quirk than anything thing else. The 1 gig of RAM in theory is to close to the minimum requirement for Vista, however, in practice coupled with the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom cpu the 912 proved to be more than ample for most general computing tasks. The machine never felt like it was short of horsepower and, as a result, it felt like a proper computer capable of handling most normal tasks thrown at it – only smaller. Perhaps the only limitations to this machine’s ability would be video editing.

The 160GB 2.5” SATA hdd was speedy enough and it’s inconceivable to me that this would be insufficient for all but the most hungry of power users. No doubt this could probably be upgraded to something larger again if you felt the need.

With built-in 802.11/g wi-fi, Bluetooth and an Ethernet port there is ample connectivity. Bluetooth is a real boon from my point of view as it allowed easy tethering of my mobile phone and PDA. Well done Gigabyte.

The power supply did not come with a UK plug and lead – I suspect that this would be because I was using a review unit. The battery is a 4500mAh item that proved sufficient for about 2hrs of use – somewhat less than claimed. This lower than claimed life was probably due to me using the screen almost always on maximum brightness and no doubt more could be eeked from it with careful adjustment of the power-savings functions. This sort of life a little bit on the low side when compared to the latest sub-notebooks, particularly the Asus EEPC 901 which has a battery life in excess of 5 hours. However, it is unlikely anyone would want to use one of these machines for such extended periods due to their small form factor.

There is a webcam placed centrally above the screen so, video conferencing is entirely possible using something like Skype or MSN Messenger. Personally, I am happy for my contacts not to see my ugly face, but if you’re a teenager then it will certainly appeal!

The mouse glidepad was adequate and featured a scroll area that allowed pages to be scrolled up and down. The left-right buttons mouse buttons had a slightly stiff action, but at least they were positive and caused no problems.

The keyboard was easy to use once I had got used to the physically smaller layout. I wouldn’t want to spend hours writing a lengthy dissertation on it, but it is fine for most uses. It was firm and tactile with good feedback – I’ve used worse on many much larger laptops. Those of you with big hands might struggle, but I was happy with it. There’s number of function keys on it to allow quick access to wi-fi, speaker mute, screen brightness and lock controls – pretty much as one would expect of any other laptop.

Gigabyte M912 keyboard & Touch pad

The screen is a 1280x768 affair capable of displaying more than enough information. However, it’s somewhat disappointing in that it’s not very bright and it has a gritty appearance. I found I had to keep the backlighting on maximum at all times and it’s nowhere near as good as many pdas, mobile phones or other sub-notebooks. Clearly some compromises have had to be made to keep the cost down and it does spoil the experience somewhat because in all other ways the 912 a fine portable computer.

Gigabyte M912 hinge detail

The screen is swivel-screen that allows the 912 to function as a tablet computer and in this mode it is fine is all respects. The hinge doesn’t feel like it’s particularly robust and if I owned one of these I would be taking great care of it as it’s easy to try to twist and rotate the screen in the wrong direction – this is potential for disaster as this would most likely render the machine uneconomic to repair. Most curiously, there was no receptacle for the stylus. I am not convinced that Vista is a good o/s for this sort of use, but that’s a different discussion altogether and not really any fault of the machine’s design. Personally, I can see no use for tablet pcs and I much prefer to use the 912 as a conventional highly portable computer.

MP3 playback through headphones was good enough and I noticed no skips or pauses. The speakers were lightweight of course. Video performance was good with some of my own Windows Media Video files filmed from my motorcycle, the only limitation being the screen. Watching a DivX movie is a realistic proposition.

Software

As already mentioned this machine comes with Windows Vista. You either like it or you don’t. There is nothing extra in terms of software it’s very basic – there’s no office suite for example. Again this is probably a cost-cutting measure, but installing something like Open Office is easy enough and the machine will run it without effort.

Conclusion

So how does the M912 fare? As a portable pc it succeeds very well. It’s small, light, reasonably powerful and well-connected. It’s a proper computer in a small box and it coped with everything I threw at it without breaking into a sweat. For someone who travels a lot like myself it’s almost perfect. The price of £440 inclusive of VAT puts it very much at the higher end of the market and well into the budget “full-size” laptop zone where it compares unfavourably against dual-core machines in terms of performance. However, portability always has come with a higher price tag.

I think I would have preferred it to have been equipped with a lightweight flavour of Linux that would allow all sorts of software expansion at no extra cost and which would have probably boosted performance to very pleasing levels. This would also have had the advantage of reducing the cost of the device which, I feel is on for the high side of acceptable. However, if you’re in the market for an accomplished portable computer then the 912 is a good choice and I would be happy to own one.

Review by: Nigel

This philosophy will surely be greatly appreciated by housewives needing to stay in touch via email with husband and children, students, sales agents, and many others that do not require the sophistication of a full packed Office suite or other virtual gizmos available in Smartphones, Pocket PCs, PDAs and Ultra Portable Notebooks. Peek Inc. is planning the nationwide release via of the Peek handheld device by September 15 via Target Corp. at a retail price of $100.

Along with the handheld, Peek will also provide a mobile email service through the Peek Network, which goal is offer unlimited access to Webmail, POP3 and IMAP account for only $20 USD a month. Peek’s mobile infrastructure is  provided by T-Mobile USA Inc., guaranteeing coast to coast wireless coverage.

Another great advantage of Peek’s gadget is will not be any limitation accesing major Webmail services, including but not limited to Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Webmail services (Hotmail, Live and MSN) or any others, as occurred with some providers in the early stage of the push email service.

When it comes to the mobile market, Peek is betting to provide a specific solution for target people. This is much likely the concept behind a series of gadgets with similar goal such as Kindle, an e-reader launched by Amazon past year that provides digital books download connecting with the Sprint Nextel cellular network.

Some critics have pointed their fing toward IXI Mobile Inc., a company that previously tried to break into the mobile mainstream with Ogo, another email reader gizmo that also provided text and instant messaging capabilities via AT&T network in 2004. Ogo’s lack of success forced IXI Mobile to discontinuing the service one year later.

Nonetheless. Peek has an optimistic vision in the knowledge that the mobile market has mature and push email is now a real need to keep communications among enterprises clients and regular subscribers. Peek handheld, opposite to Ogo, will born in the right moment when demand for this type of gadgets is granted and will not be attached to long-term contracts or need to subscribe to additional services to unlash its capabilities.

• Ultra-Rugged Design: Certified to military specifications for dust, shock, vibration and blowing rain enabling users to get work done even in a harsh environment.
• Sprint Music Store: Download stereo-quality tracks instantly over the air. Choose songs from thousands of artists in virtually every genre.
• Sprint Radio: Listen to more than 100 local radio stations from across the country and more than 50 other commercial-free channels, including Hip Hop, Country, Alternative, Rock and more.
• Sprint TV: Watch live TV, short clips or full-length episodes - from channels users know, including CBS, ABC, CNN and more.
• Picture Mail: Take, save, share and publish quality digital photos or video clips.
• Sprint Navigation: Delivers voice-guided and on-screen, turn-by-turn GPS-enabled driving directions, 3-D moving maps similar to an in-car navigation system or personal navigation
• device, as well as local search and real-time intelligent traffic alerts and one-click rerouting, anywhere on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network.
• NFL Mobile Live: Provides live audio broadcasts of all NFL regular season games, live audio/video stream of 8 NFL Network games (starting in November 2008), live 24/7 stream of the NFL Network, exclusive team content, exclusive video highlights from all games and fantasy tools.
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology (with stereo support): Communicate with compatible devices via built-in short-range wireless radio technology.
• 2.0 Megapixel Camera and Camcorder: Capture high-resolution images with the digital camera and a 4X digital zoom with embedded flash. Create video clips and easily share with friends and family.
• Mobile Email: Easy, one-touch access to all personal email including AOL/AIM, Yahoo!, Windows Live (Hotmail and MSN) and more.
• Instant Messaging: Send and receive instant messages and email from your phone.
• Sprint Mobile Sync: Easy-to-use online tool for contact and group management, address book synchronization between online and phone, secure contact backup, and automatic contact
• transfer when changing to a new capable phone.

With your ongoing support, fring has developed into an award-winning, global leader in mobile internet communications, and we have done so by listening to guys like you telling us what you think, what works and what doesn't, and developing our cool services and features accordingly.  We recognize just how important this has become, and want to take it a step further, by inviting you to join "friends of fring", a small, exclusive group of fringsters which we will share information with, take inputs and insights from and provide products, features and other news of fring's development before general release.

All we ask is that you continue to tell us what you think occasionally! Please note, there will be no obligation on your part to do so, but we will ask you to agree to keep confidential some of the developments we share with you.

As a  FoF (a k a friend of fring), you'll receive a fringing welcome pack  J with some fun fring goodies , and access to a special password protected friends of fring web site where we'll share the exclusive friends of fring info.  We'll also be hosting friends of fring social events every so often (lot's of free drinks and other stuff...), so we can say thank you and get to know each other in person. This will give us a chance to share with you the cool new stuff in the product pipeline, and hear your thoughts and ideas for future development.

Please note friends of fring is totally free of charge to be a part of.  Application is open to any fring user, but to make it manageable and to keep it exclusive, the final selection will be limited to only a few users per country.  So if you are interested in joining please apply now.

To apply, please send an email to friends@fring.com with your:

-          name

-          fring nick

-          fring ID (your mobile no. with its international dial code)

-          and a few short lines explaining why you'd like to join.

Applications are open until Fri 12th Sept and we'll get back to you by Tues Sept 30th.

Hope to hear from you and make friends soon!

Cheers,

Tags: AIM, friends of fring, fring, Google Talk, ICQ, MSN Messenger, SIP, Skype, Twitter, VoIP, Yahoo

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• fring Enhances Mobile IM Client with fringAdd-ons - Jul 01, 2008
• OctroTalk Launches - Mar 31, 2008
• fring coming to Windows Mobile phones - Jun 19, 2007
• Gizmo marries Yahoo, MSN Messenger (Live), Jabber, and Google Talk - Feb 27, 2007
• Mundu IM supports Pocket PC and Sony Ericsson Phones - Oct 29, 2007
• Hotty.com SIP Phone for Phone Sex over IP? - Feb 02, 2007
• New 3CX VoIP Phone SIP Softphone - Sep 02, 2008

Penandfree from Korea has recently unveiled the Duo during IFA 2008. The device is the company’s next-generation wireless electronic input pen that allows users to write letters or figures on up to 22-inch non-tablet monitors. The pen is 10 times cheaper than using a tablet monitor. The Duo is compatible with MS Office/Note and MSN messenger. Penandfree will release the Duo pen in Korea later this month. [AVING]

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From the website:

More reasons to register with RF.com

• RF.com is pure calling simplicity. All we do is connect your existing SIP, IP PBX and/or IP-based phone systems to your iPhone. No extra bills.

• Make free IP-based calls (Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo, MSN, etc…) from your iPhone.

• Make business calls using your office’s phone system even when you’re out and about — your calls will look like they come from your office on the receiver’s caller ID. Plus, the calls will get billed to your business.

Free — the way we like it.

[via Dean Kaltsas, who knows a good thing when he sees one]