[MobileRatty] tag: n800

LG Prada II Available by end of Month with a Snazzy Bluetooth Watch

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:42:12 +0000

Despite rumours to the contrary, LG has announced the next generation Prada smartphone for European availabilityby the end of the month, accompanied by a Bluetooth-enabled watch called the Prada Link (model LG-LBA-T950) that flashes call notifications and shows SMS messages. 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, 5 megapixel camera, haptic feedback, video calling, slider QWERTY keypad, and a 240 x 400 3″ touchscreen make for a pretty stylish package. The Link isn’t anything new, since we’ve seen a few Bluetooth watches break that ground, but this is a fine accessory to launch for the fashionable types mindful of social faux pas like checking your phone too much at chic gatherings. Europeans can expect to pay 600 Euros for the phone and 299 Euros for the Link. Youch. For more pictures, specs and video, check out Prada’s ridonkulously posh flash site.

[via LG]

Related News from IntoMobile:

Get 20% discount on LeWeb08 Paris conference!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:41:29 +0000

Good folks behind LeWeb’08 Paris have provided us with a discount code to share with our readers, who want to attend the conference.

In order to get 20% off the price of the conference, enter “BLOGDISCOUNT” as a discount code. Or simply use this link and the code will be entered automatically.

The regular price for orders placed until November 20th is 1495 EUR, but with the code applied, it’s 1196 EUR. The discount code will keep working even after 20th, but the price goes up — from November 21st onwards it will be 1435.20 EUR (instead of 1794 EUR). So if you want to attend, you better hurry up. Here’s a link once again.

Related News from IntoMobile:

Gigabyte M528 review

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:25:48 +0000

MID – Mobile Internet Device. Small pocket-sized computers running desktop-type applications and with a full suite of connectivity options. The M528 is a MID. Intel seems to be very keen about MIDs at the moment, and it seems that they are the next great thing. Mind you, Nokia has been quietly punting them out for a few years now in the shape of the N770, N800 and N810 internet tablets (all Linux devices). I was keen to see how the M528 compared against the venerable Nokia’s because it terms of specification it blows them away.

What's in the box?

Gigabyte M528 MID
Li-ion rechargeable battery
Charger
USB cable

General

Before I delve into reviewing the M528 in any depth I think it’s important to highlight the fact that this would appear to be a pre-production release model. Why do I think this? The unit came without any manual, documentation, software CD or indeed a retail box. I will also confess to being a fan and user of Nokias internet tablet so, it was natural that I judge the M528 against them.

My first reaction upon opening the box was “It’s just like a Nokia N810”. It could easily be mistaken for one such is the close resemblance. The M528 is a bit bigger all round and a fair bit heavier, but nevertheless it screams N810. It’s an exceedingly well specified and good looking device. In terms of hardware it presses all the buttons: large, bright and sharp display; proper USB ports; fast cpu; plenty of memory; a slide-out keyboard; memory slot; a sim card slot for 3G connectivity; big battery…… Portable computing heaven - if this is the way forward then count me in.

For a flavour of what the device is like see Matt’s recent unboxing:

http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/index.php?blog=2&paged=2

Like the Nokia internet tablets it runs a form of Linux – in this case Midinux. Linux is eminently suitable for MIDs with its low overheads and hardware requirements. Linux is also highly customisable and has wonderful community support, so I was somewhat perturbed to discover that this particular flavour is crippled and lacking in functionality – more later.

Controls

The M528 has been thoughtfully provided with a number of connection options and some sensibly positioned controls

Top: Camera shutter release, 3.5mm headphone jack, std USB port, volume up/down switch, microSD card slot, mini USB port.

Gigabyte M528 Top View

Bottom: Power jack, Power switch

Gigabyte M528 bottom View

Front: TFT screen, slide-out keyboard, smart key for quick access to certain applications

Gigabyte M528 front view

Back: Speaker, battery/SIM cover, camera lens, reset hole. Stylus slot (on the top right when viewed from the back)

Gigabyte M528 back view

Left & Right: Nothing to speak of on either side of the M528 apart from the stylus which sits on the left side of the device.

Gigabyte M528 side view

Gigabyte M528 Specification:

CPU – Intel Menlow 800MHz
OS - Linux with Merry-Go-Round i-CON interface
Core Logic – Poulsbo
System Memory - 512MB on board
LCD - 4.8” LCD panel 800x480 with touch panel
Hard Disk Drive - 4GB Intel Solid State Disk
Input Device - 47 key keyboard/Pointing button/Volume +/-
I/O Port:
1 x Std. USB Host,
1 x mini-USB Client,
1 x micro SD,
1 x 3.5mm Earphone-mic,
1 x GPS RF switching connector,
DC-in,
SIM card slot
Audio Earphone out/Mic
built-in/Speaker x 1
Bluetooth - Bluetooth 2.0 via USB I/F
Camera - 300KP CMOS Web Cam,3MP CMOS AF Camera
LAN/Wireless LAN - 802.11b/g via SDIO I/F, HSDPA capability
Keyboard - QWERTY keyboard w/ EL backlight
Protection - Kensington lock
Battery - 3.7V 3060mAh
Dimension - 152 x 80 x 22.5mm
Weight - 300g

Highlights:

Hardware spec
Design

Lowlights:

Buggy operating system
Limited software suite
Limited usability
Unreliable wi-fi connection

Review

As I have already said, I do not believe the review unit to be a production or final release product, therefore my comments should be regarded in this light. The version of Linux installed does not seem to correspond with the published spec’s and the review unit carried no statutory approval stamps or markings.

The M528 is a compact unit with a dense feel to it in the hand. Although not much bigger than a Nokia N800, it is substantially heavier and trying to carry this in your trouser pocket will result in one’s trousers trying to make a break for freedom. Like the N810 I recently reviewed, the M528 has a slide out keyboard. It’s a little bit creaky when being handled and when the keyboard slides out it feels a bit loose. The keyboard itself is a membrane type which, although lacking in good tactile feedback (they’re all like that) makes entering text much easier than relying on a stylus. Therefore, it is surprising to find that the bundled software includes very little that can make use of the keyboard. There is no word processor or e-mail client.

Connecting to a wireless network proved to be very frustrating. Despite entering the correct credentials of my network it would not connect until I made my network visible. “Ah-ha!”, I thought….”now we have a connection let’s make it invisible again for security purposes”. The M528 had other ideas. As soon as I did that the M528 dropped the connection. Once the connection had been dropped then the unit promptly forgot the connection details! In order to connect again it was necessary to make my network visible and then go through the entire process of entering the connection info again. The unit would also sporadically drop connection. Now I am an exponent and a user of Linux, but I was fairly unimpressed that getting a connection was so difficult – normally it’s child’s play and my Nokian N800 is simply leagues ahead in this respect.

Once I had got a connection I fired up the Coolfox web browser. This appeared to be a cut down version of Firefox. In use it proved to be speedy and smooth – it was a delight to use and quite a revelation on the beautiful 4.8” screen. Certainly, the user experience blew my N800 away when it came to browsing – in fact it felt just like using Firefox on a good laptop. Until it crashed that is. As intimated, the suite of applications installed is very limited. There was a media player, but it would not run whilst Coolfox was running for some unfathomable reason – a pop-up dialogue appears telling you so when you try.

The battery was a 3.7v/2700mAh Li-Polymer item (the spec’ claims 3060mAh). This capacity seemed to be plentiful even with the screen backlighting set to near maximum. The battery itself is a monster. Given the discrepancy between the published specification and the actual item in use it would be unfair to draw any conclusions regarding battery life, but I can say it never actually bothered me. So that must be good and the bigger specced item must be even better, right?

Conclusion:

The M528 has a lot of promise as does the entire class of MIDs. I’ve long been an advocate of the MID form factor (or internet tablet). Unfortunately, the M528 as reviewed was highly buggy, devoid of any means of software updates, it was not possible to add extra software, configure it or indeed do very much with it. For this reason it is difficult to draw any conclusions about it. At the time of writing non of the usual retailers actually list the machine as available and in stock so, I am really hoping that devices customers purchase are much more functional and complete. For the time being though, I cannot recommend the device in its current state. Work in progress I would say.

Review by: Nigel

[ Post Tags: Gigabyte, UMPC, Laptop, tablet pc, M528, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Nokia E71 - day 5: Its almost a true mobile office with a Bluetooth keyboard

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:37:07 +0000

As promised, today I’m connecting my Stowaway Sierra Bluetooth keyboard to the Nokia E71. The pairing went expectantly well, just as it did with my Nokia N93. However, the E71 responds much faster, thanks to the newer version of Symbian OS and S60 — it runs Symbian OS 9.2 with S60 3.1 (Feature pack 1) as opposed to N93’s Symbian OS 9.1 with S60 3.0.

As I said in my introductory post, the Nokia E71’s keyboard is super easy to use. However, having the full-sized keyboard is even better.

Now that the duo is working perfectly, I want a bigger screen on the E71. That would certainly make the device larger, and I guess Nokia’s idea is to have a separate Internet Tablet device for such a purpose. Or maybe that’s just the way I’m using my N800.

Anyway, I’ve typed this whole article on the E71, hence proving it is possible to do an actual work (writing) with a mobile phone and Bluetooth keyboard.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for more…

Related News:

Video of Android Robot on Google Campus

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:27:57 +0000

Android from Eugenia Loli-Queru on Vimeo.

Remember that giant Android Robot that stood outside the Google Campus on Android Launch Day? (check out the picture here) Looks as though there has been some further HD investigating into the matter! The video above includes some close-up shots of the huge Android Robot.

I love the fact that someone actually took the time to produce this into a nice little piece. After watching it, I must admit I was surprised that Android had a little green dog at its side. Is this going to be a new feature of the Android OS? Android Dog? ‘Will fetch whatever you need!?’

Seriously though, if anyone can hook me up with the Android stuffed toy that you see at the end of the video… I’ll be your BFF.

[Via: AndroidGuys]

Related News:

Motorola H270, H390 Bluetooth headsets look simple, cool

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:19:39 +0000

Motorola has recently unveiled two new Bluetooth headsets - H270 and H390.

The first of the two, H270 - pictured on the left, is a basic Bluetooth headset sporting a single call/end conversation button and two volume keys. Its battery provides enough power for up to 6 hours of talk and up to 6 days of standby time.

As for the other model, H390, it comes with more powerful battery, adding 2 more hours of talk and 2 days of standby time on top of the battery life of the H270 model. In addition, the H390 also sports a trichromatic LED, which burns with the green color with the charge of the battery. After a while, it goes yellow to finally, after continuous use, turns red, alerting users to recharge the headset…

[Via: JampBLOG]

Related News:

Nokia launches their tiniest Bluetooth headset, invites you to make your own

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:03:07 +0000

Nokia recently launched the BH-804, a rather fetching, minimal Bluetooth headset that comes with a neckstrap and charging pod, and due to drop before the end of the year. Pretty simple-looking deal with just two buttons, but if it’s not your cup of tea, why not enter Nokia’s Almighty Headset Competition and get Nokia to actually make the craziest Bluetooth headphones you can cook up. Just chose from one of the existing stereo headset models and get cracking. Oh man, it’ll be hard getting any work done today with something like this to play with…

[via Nokia]

Related News:

BlueMaemo turns Nokia Internet Tablet into a remote control for your computer

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:41:53 +0000

BlueMaemo is a neat application for Nokia N800 and N810 owners that allows them to use their Internet Tablet device as a remote control for their PCs.

The application works pretty simple - pair the N800/N810 with your PC via Bluetooth and use the Tablet’s touchscreen as a touchpad. Additionally, if you happen to own the N810, you could type on the device’s slide out keyboard and see the result on your PC’s monitor.

BlueMaemo uses HID Bluetooth profile, hence you’ll need to have a Bluetooth-enabled PC (most new laptops are), which also runs Windows XP SP2/SP3, XP Media Center, Vista or Linux BlueZ.

Want to see BlueMaemo in action? Here’s a 4-minute long video of some real-life action. Enjoy!

[Via: jkOnTheRun]

Similar Posts:

BlueMaemo Turns Your Nokia Tablet Into a Wireless Mouse, Keyboard [Input Devices]

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Usually, the only reason we use the keyboards on internet tablets is because we can't get to a more comfortable input device. Still, if you want to turn that on your head, here's a beta application for Nokia Internet Tablets (the N800 and N810 specifically) that let you use them as a keypad and mouse for your main computer. BlueMaemo uses Bluetooth and works with Windows XP, Vista and Linux BlueZ. I guess it could be fun for freaking out anyone who's using your desktop at the time. Can anyone say awesome Halloween prank? [JK on the Run]

Fennec comes to mobile devices

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:47:58 +0000

Mozilla is famous for their Firefox browser which has over the years steadily eroded Microsoft’s Internet Explorer share in the browser market, and this time round the company will be launching an attack on the mobile platform as well with a mobile version of Firefox, better known as Fennec. It isn’t ready for commercial consumption just yet, but has already reached the alpha 1 milestone that functions only on the Nokia N800/N810 Internet tablet at this point in time. Rest assured it will hit the Windows Mobile operating system as well in the near future, although no definite release date has been stated. iPhone owners will lose out on Fennec though since Mozilla claims Apple’s software requirements for the iPhone are way too restrictive for them to make any headway.

Source: Webmonkey

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Fennec comes to mobile devices copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]