Sony Ericsson Launches 6 New Phones

Sony Ericsson today announced 6 new phones as well as an overwhelming number of accessories including speaker systems and Bluetooth watches. Of the phones announced today, the K850 is the only one clearly meant for US shore, however many others will come in US-friendly versions. New high-end models include a send and end as well as soft keys, a trend first seen on the Z750. This hints that they will include a new user interface.

1. K850: A candybar with tri-band HSDPA and quad-band GSM/EDGE has a 5 Megapixel auto-focus camera and Xenon flash. It also features a new photo mode that changes the keypad when the camera is activated for easier control. The K850 also has Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and a combo M2/MicroSD memory card slot.

2. W960: This followup to the W950 features tri-band GSM/EDGE and UMTS 2100. It has a 2.6-inch touch-sensitive display and uses the Walkman touch player interface based on Symbian UIQ. It comes with 8 GB of internal memory for storing media. The W960 also has a 3.2 Megapixel camera with autofocus. It has Wi-Fi and the Opera Web browser, stereo Bluetooth and comes with a pair of stereo bluetooth headphones.

3. W910: A slider with motion-sensitive controls allowing you to change tracks or play games by shaking it. It will ship in two versions. The W908c will be quad-band GSM/EDGE, and the W910i will also include UMTS/HSDPA 2100. Both versions have a 2 Megapixel camera and the Walkman 3.0 player. It also comes with stereo Bluetooth and a 1 GB Memory Stick Micro for storing media.

4. K530: A mid-range candybar for Europe with tri-band GSM/GPRS (900/1800/1900) and UMTS 2100 that features a 2 Megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, Memory Stick Micro slot and support for a new GPS receiver and software suite that plus into the accessory port.

5. Z320: An entry-level tri-band clamshell that will be available in a US version (GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900). Features a 1.3 Megapixel camera and internal color display, but only features an icon display on the cover, like many of Motorola's W series phones.

6. Z250: An even simpler version of the Z320 featuring a VGA camera. Also available in a tri-band version for the US.

Wafer-Thin Digital Camera Technology Developed

Tessera Technologies has created OptiML WLC, a new process that helps to shrink digital camera components for use in devices such as cell phones. The new technology reduces the size by 50% and costs by 30%, making the camera modules smaller and cheaper for integration into other electronics. It works by manufacturing thousands of lenses simultaneously on a wafer and bonding them together to create the optical element.

Tessera's solution is designed to overcome the cost, size and manufacturing roadblocks facing the industry as cameras become pervasive in mobile phones and other electronics. Using OptiML WLC technology, thousands of lenses are manufactured simultaneously on a wafer, and then bonded at the wafer level to create the optical element of the camera. The result is simplified assembly and up to 30% cost savings for the optical component of the camera module. OptiML WLC technology also reduces the size of the camera to a minimum, delivering up to 50% size reductions over conventional camera modules in camera phones today. Tessera's recently acquired Eyesquad technology can be easily integrated into the OptiML WLC solution, providing advanced auto-focus and digital optical zoom without the use of moving parts, resulting in greatly enhanced camera functionally and reliability at lower costs and smaller form factors.

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Nokia 8600 Luna: A definitive design statement with a touch of glass

The timeless beauty of glass highlights the latest evolution of Nokia's most coveted phone series.



Building upon a tradition of crafting its most unique and prestigious phones from trend-setting materials like chrome, stainless steel and titanium, Nokia today unveiled the Nokia 8600 Luna, which has been precision engineered from the same material that has inspired both artists and craftsmen for centuries- glass.

The melding of nearly opaque smoked glass with unique, soft-touch stainless steel makes the Nokia 8600 Luna as enchanting to behold as it is a joy to touch. Adding to its mysterious allure, a gentle keypad illumination pulsates from beneath the glass case while the phone awaits a call. Combined with the warmth of its glass and stainless steel body, this "heartbeat" transforms the Nokia 8600 Luna from an inanimate object into a trusted companion with an organic, virtually alive form. When a call does beckon, the signature slide movement is carefully balanced to smoothly raise the ergonomic keypad from within its glass cocoon.

"An obsession to every detail marked each step in the development process of the Nokia 8600 Luna. We took painstaking effort to ensure that the experience delivered by every surface - from the smoothness of glass against the face to the warmth of stainless steel in the palm to the superior tactile feedback of the keypad - would surpass any and all expectations," said Heikki Norta, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "Even the name holds special significance. Much like the Nokia 8600 Luna that we named in her honor, Luna, the goddess of moonlight, was often represented by the Romans as a mysteriously captivating beauty encircled in a soft, yet radiant light."

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Palm Sells 25% Stake to Private Firm

Less than a week after releasing the Foleo Treo companion device, Palm announced that it has sold 25% of the company to a private equity firm, Elevation Partners. Elevation paid $325 million for its quarter share of Palm, which is reorganizing itself in an attempt to strengthen the business. As part of the restructure, Palm is bringing in Jon Rubinstein as executive chairman to help manage the company. Rubinstein formerly ran Apple's iPod division. Also as part of the deal, Fred Anderson, Apple's former CFO, and Roger McNamee, a co-founder of Silver Lake Partners, will join the board. Palm will pay a $940 million dividend to shareholders, which breaks down to $9 per share. U2's Bono is one of the founders and investors of Elevation Partners.

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Nokia N75 : Review

The Nokia N75 is a 3G clamshell first announced by Nokia last September. Made available recently on AT&T's network in the U.S., it has all the features you'd expect from a high-end consumer phone. With the camera, music player, high-speed wireless data capabilities, and customizable S60 operating system, the N75 is an enticing pick. With so many capabilities, it could be hard to settle on the N75's defining feature. And that's just the problem, there isn't one. So what makes the N75 special enough for you?

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Treo 755p review

Palm OS users are loyal, possibly more loyal than Apple users. However, unlike Apple, it is not a growing platform. More people are not adopting the Palm OS every day like they are Windows Mobile, or Symbian or the Blackberry. The Treo 755p doesn't add any new features to attract new users to the Palm OS, nor does it give current users much of a reason to upgrade. However, the 755p it is a solid performer that addresses nearly every complaint we've heard from current Palm users.

The Treo 755p and 750w share the exact same body. The only thing that is different about it are the navigation buttons that surround the D-pad. Because they are the same shape and even color, they will be difficult to tell apart. The 700w and 700p were equally similar.

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Moto RAZR2 Launch

Today Motorola announced the new RAZR 2 at a press conference in New York City. After the event, we had the opportunity to spend some time with the new phone.

The RAZR 2 comes in three different variations. The V8 will be a quad-band GSM/EDGE phone. It uses Motorola's Linux-Java user interface. The V9 is the 3G HSDPA model, but it reverts to Motorla's older Synergy UI. It is also quad-band GSM, plus HSDPA 850/1900 in the US version. Also using the Synergy platform is the CDMA EV-DO variant, the V9m.

They all share a similar build. The form factor is sleek, smooth, shiny and definitely thin. Motorola shaved 2 mm off the size of the original RAZR and slimmed the GSM and CDMA RAZR 2s to just 12 mm thick. But as the RAZR2 got thinner, it also got slightly larger, as though Motorola's designers just pushed down on the RAZR and let the volume ooze out a bit.

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"Origami" Lens Might Improve Cell Phone Cameras

Engineers at UC San Diego have built a powerful yet ultrathin digital camera by folding up the telephoto lens. This technology may yield lightweight, ultrathin, high resolution miniature cameras for unmanned surveillance aircraft, cell phones and infrared night vision applications.

"Our imager is about seven times more powerful than a conventional lens of the same depth," said Eric Tremblay, the first author on an Applied Optics paper published February 1, 2007, and an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. candidate at UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering. Eric is working with Joseph Ford, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Jacobs School who leads the camera project within UCSD's Photonic Systems Integration Lab. Ford is also affiliated with the UCSD division of the California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Calit2.

"This type of miniature camera is very promising for applications where you want high resolution images and a short exposure time. This describes what cell phone cameras want to be when they grow up," said Ford. "Today's cell phone cameras are pretty good for wide angle shots, but because space constraints require short focal length lenses, when you zoom them in, they're terrible. They're blurry, dark, and low contrast."

To reduce camera thickness but retain good light collection and high-resolution capabilities, Tremblay and colleagues replaced the traditional lens with a "folded" optical system that is based on an extension of conventional astronomical telescopes that employed mirrors, such as the Cassegrain telescope, which was developed in 1672.

Seagate Introduces Portable Drive For Phones

That's DAVE as in Digital Audio Video Experience, previously code-named "Crickett," a tech platform from the California-based storage company that aims to add 10-20GB of wireless storage to cellphones, or other WiFi- and BlueTooth-equipped devices, thanks to a tiny drive you can stash in your pocket, desk draw or glove box. The aim is simple: offer mass storage on the go, and stay far enough ahead of the Flash-based curve to make the idea of a separate unit attractive.

"We're looking to see storage implemented in the mobile ecosystem," said Rob Pait, Seagate's Director of Global Marketing for Consumer Marketing for electronics. "If that happens, we will win."

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LG Unveils Prada Phone With Touch Screen

LG Electronics, a pioneer in consumer electronics and mobile phones, and PRADA, one of the world’s leading brands in the luxury goods industry , unveil the first completely touch screen mobile phone.

The PRADA Phone by LG (KE850) is a real breakthrough in the industry, as it is a unique, sophisticated and elegant mobile phone with the first complete advanced touch interface.

LG and PRADA have worked closely together on every aspect of the product, from handset development to marketing combining the attention to detail and uncompromising quality of PRADA design with the trademark technological innovation of LG mobile.

PRADA’s involvement extends beyond exterior aesthetics to the key elements of the user experience such as the advanced touch interface, ring tones, pre-loaded content, mobile phone accessories and the exclusive leather case, inspired by the classic Italian craftsmen tradition.

“We at LG are exceptionally proud of the PRADA Phone by LG” says Dr. Scott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. He continues, “The two companies have worked together seamlessly towards a truly shared vision, to develop one of the most beautifully stylish handsets the market has ever seen.”

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