Tech.Wapline

Not that we love abbreviations in titles, but we just couldn’t resist with that one. The HTC sub-brand we all love to name — Dopod — has officially released a GPS upgrade for the D810 WM5 handset (aka HTC P3600/Trinity). The new legit and official ROM for your Dopod D810 includes GPS capability onboard to complement its speedy HSDPA data connection without the use of an added GPS antenna. Want to take photos from the onboard cam with embedded GPS coordinates? You are now covered, you geocacher you. In addition to being fully staffed with BlackBerry Connect and Microsoft’s Direct Push email solution, you can now tell where you are under the stars when checking your email if you so choose. The new GPS ROM, according to Dopod, should become available in March on new factory D810s, and existing D810 users can upgrade their units free of charge via download at www.dopodasia.com.

Samsung’s latest dual-hinged handset, the SCH-u740, hit Verizon this week and we’ve got a gallery full of hands-on pics for your perusal. The specs on this thing won’t blow you away, but for $200 (with two year contract) you get a messaging-centric EV-DO phone with a 1.3 megapixel camera, a microSD memory card slot (the u740 supports playback of MP3 and WMA audio files), and Bluetooth (including DUN support). First impressions: the u740 is decently thing, but we’re not really digging the champagne finish on this thing, it actually makes the u740 look cheaper than it should. Screen resolution is a disappointing 176 x 220 pixels, but we’re pretty pleased with how solid the dual-hinge is, at least so far, and switching between modes is totally seamless. The QWERTY keyboard is nothing special, the keys are a little slippery and aren’t very easy to type on. They have made a few (mostly cosmetic) improvements to the UI, but the u740 is most definitely NOT a smartphone, and so even though Verizon does offer wireless sync email this probably shouldn’t be the first choice for anyone who is really serious about doing email on their phone.

It’s not just Apple’s ubiquitous click-wheel that Quantum Research is bothering Apple about these days, Quantum is also fussing about the iPhone’s touchscreen technology. “We will be looking very carefully at the iPhone,” says Duncan Bryan, licensing director at QR. And wouldn’t you know: “The description of the iPhone suggests it uses a rear-surface touch screen, and has proximity sensing which can tell if it is held to the ear. That’s a QR capability.” No formal lawsuit has been filed yet, but based on Apple’s complete denial and counterclaims of QR’s December 2005 click-wheel allegations, we’re guessing it won’t be backing down on this one anytime soon. Apparently this “charge transfer capacitive sensing” stuff has been licensed to Motorola and was invented by QR’s founder and CEO Hal Philipp. Usually we’d be content to sit back and watch, but all these Apple-related lawsuits and copycats are getting a little tried — remember those good old fashioned RIM / NTP days?

[Via AppleInsider]

If there are two things we can’t get enough of in this world, it’s mobile TV and OLED displays behind mirrored acrylic covers; put the two features together, and you’ve got yourself a little slice of heaven. On that note we present ZTE’s new F908, a clamshell out of China that seems to do both with poise. In this case, the mobile TV tech in question is DVB-H backed up by a pivoting display that should make viewing a more pleasurable experience, while a 3.6Mbps HSDPA radio keeps data flowing at a nice clip; of course, we don’t expect to see the F908 around these parts any time soon, but if you happen to be on the other side of the world, keep an eye out for ‘er.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

Just because Nokia hasn’t committed to making a direct successor to the original N-Gage doesn’t mean there won’t be focused devices in the pipeline to support its next-gen gaming platform. Although the
N73 and N95 are apparently the only launched models that’ll support its game download service when it launches this September, neither device is well-suited to the rigors of a hardcore game, and that’s where the new handset comes into play (pun intended). Though details are scant, the Wall Street Journal reports that it’ll have dedicated game keys, “among other features,” for the expressed purpose of making life a little easier on the on-the-go gamer. As long as we can dispense with the taco talking, we’re game (again, pun intended).[Via MocoNews]