Tech.Wapline

T-Mobile today introduced the BlackBerry 8800, a slim handset with a full QWERTY keyboard. The BlackBerry 8800 includes support for up to 10 work and personal email accounts (including the most popular ISP email accounts), a built-in multimedia player for music and video, and full HTML web browsing.

Premium features also are included such as Bluetooth 2.0 support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals, trackball navigation system, noise cancellation for enhanced audio performance, and a microSD expandable memory slot for storage.

Operating on T-Mobile’s EDGE network, the quad-band BlackBerry 8800 offers T-Mobile’s myFaves experience to easily stay in touch with those who matter most, and incorporates built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) to support location-based applications. BlackBerry Maps is included, which provides on-screen driving directions with the ability to track the route via the GPS and generate a map directly from the BlackBerry Address Book.

The BlackBerry 8800 from T-Mobile USA features:

- A large screen with 320 x 240 px color display
- Dimensions: 4.49 x 2.60 x 0.55 inches and 4.73 oz
- Expandable memory via microSD expansion slot
- Instant messaging clients: AOL, Yahoo! MSN and ICQ
- Multimedia player with music and audio capabilities
- HTML browser for visiting favorite web sites
- Full QWERTY keyboard
- Intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball
- Call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, and call forwarding
- Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated ’send’, ‘end’, and ‘mute’ keys, speakerphone, and Bluetooth support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS (800/900/1800/1900) and EDGE network support for international roaming
- Support for polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ringtones
- BlackBerry Internet Service - allows access to up to 10 personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts
- BlackBerry Enterprise Server support - integrates with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise environments and features a new set of IT policy controls for managing the handset’s features and usage.

Today Nokia announced the addition of Widgets and Web Run-Time to its S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 smartphone platform. Widgets are lightweight applications built on common web standards like CSS, Javascript, and AJAX. Web Run-Time is the platform that these applications will run on in the S60 environment. It is based on the same core technologies as Nokia’s wildly popular S60 web browser.

Widgets will allow S60 users to keep up to date in real time with their favorite Internet sites and data sources. For example, the WeatherBug widget, shown above, tracks weather in the user’s area, while a Reuters widget might keep a list of current headlines at the user’s fingertips. In the future, widgets will also be able to interact with the core S60 applications, such as the contacts and calendar.

The Web Run-Time and Widget tools and documentation will be available to developers starting in Q3 of this year. We should start seeing S60 3rd Edition FP2 handset coming onto market in Q1 of next year.

Nokia has announced a new mid-range S60 smartphone today, complete with HSDPA high-speed data access. The new Nokia 6120 Classic might look inconspicuous, but its sedate design hides quite a lot of power.

 Two cameras are present on the 6120 Classic: a front-facing unit for video calling, and a 2.0 megapixel rearward-facing sensor with 4x digital zoom for easy photography. Nokia’s 6120 Classic is designed with ease of use in mind, and the full S60 smartphone UI accomplishes this well, including contact management, a calendar, task list, email access, and other tools to make managing your life easy. One of the biggest draw cards for the device is its HSDPA compatibility, delivering up to 10 times faster data speeds than normal WCDMA networks.

The Nokia 6120 Classic should hit European store shelves before the end of this quarter for an estimated retail price of just 260 Euro (approximately US$350) before taxes and subsidies.

Sharp said today it has developed advanced LCD panels that would offer sharper moving images on portable devices such as mobile phones, pitting it against organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays.

The new LCD features the industry’s highest contrast ratio of 2,000:1*1, a wide viewing angle of 176 degrees that is top class in the industry, and a high-speed response time of 8 ms.

By fusing proprietary, high-resolution liquid-crystal-system technology with high-quality display technology cultivated through the development of AQUOS LCD TVs, Sharp developed a new LCD for mobile equipment offering the industry’s highest*1 contrast ratio, a wide viewing angle, and image quality nearly as high as that of LCD TVs. The new LCD allows users to see clearer, more colorful images than can be seen on conventional mobile equipment.

This autumn, Sharp is scheduled to make a sample shipment of the new LCDs for One-Seg-compatible mobile phones. One-Seg-compatible mobile phones are capable of receiving terrestrial digital TV broadcasts. The total number of shipments of such phones is expected to surpass 10 million in Japan this summer. Because similar broadcasting service has already started in Europe and the US, world demand for mobile phones able to receive digital TV broadcasting is expected to increase. Sharp will then use the new LCDs to expand its lineup of mobile phones and to further develop the application of these new LCDs in digital cameras.

Sharp will develop proprietary LCDs based on new technologies not only for large LCDs for TVs but also for small and medium-size applications and will contribute to further advances in mobile equipment.

- Screen Size: 2.2-inches
- Number of Pixels: 240 x 320 px (QVGA)
- Contrast Ratio: 2000:1
- Viewing Angle: Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal - 176 degrees
- Response Speed: 8 ms (Black white display)
- Applications: Mobile phones, digital cameras, and other mobile

Nokia today unveiled the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold, an 18-carat gold plated version of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco luxury mobile phone.

Combining highly desired communication devices with organic designs inspired by surfaces found in nature, the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold pays attention to details and selection of materials. Fine white gold accents enhance the 18-carat gold plating while the sapphire-coated, scratch-resistant glass display helps to ensure that the beauty of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold endures.

The crafting of each Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold draws from techniques by watchmakers and jewelers. A smooth sliding mechanism reveals a high-resolution camera (2.0-megapixel) and the intuitive and ergonomic keypad. Further highlights of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold include a color screen (up to 262K-colors), and a wide array of messaging functionalities. The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is also complemented by a coordinating desk stand and color-matching Bluetooth headset.

The Sirocco wind - originating in the Sahara desert - serves as the inspiration to the design and naming of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold. The blend of the strength and beauty of nature is the theme for the extire Nokia 8800 Sirocco line.

The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is now available in select markets, with an estimated retail price of EUR 1000, before taxes or subsidies.