New Samsung SmartPhone

More pictures and details about the upcoming Samsung SGH-i780 were posted today on unwiredview.com. This looks like a really cool device. I'd love to see a sliding qwerty key pad though. Funny I should mention that because another site captured a few details about another Samsung device, Samsung SGH-i640, that looks related to the the i780 and it looks like it's a slider. The i640 is said to be launching on Vodafone around Christmas. Both devices are GSM with UMTS/HSDPA. No word on release dates for the U.S.
unwiredview - i780

theunwired - i640

Palm Centro on Sprint

Sprint and Palm released details about the upcoming new device the two have been working on. The Centro shares the same form factor as the European Treo 500v, but is a Palm OS device instead of Windows. Sprint also has launched a website dedicated to the device that let's us know that the device will be $99 after rebates and contract discount and will be released on Oct 14. "It's also the world's smallest Palm device." The url is quite clever also, moreyous.com.

Sprint Press Release

Palm Site

BusinessWire

Engadget

Gizmodo

WiMAX World USA - Chicago, IL

WiMAX World USA is about to kick off in Chicago and last night Sprint and Motorola demonstrated how the Xohm service will work when it is deployed. I would love to go to this event, but it wasn't a possibility this year, maybe next year. What I missed most was the demo that was given last night on the Chicago River. Sprint set up four towers along the river to demonstrate that mobile WiMAX will work even when switching from tower to tower. Motorola has a press release for the event, and a fellow bloger was able to attend and documented his experience very well. Check out the story by By Eric Bangeman from ars technica. Here's the link to the Moto Release.

Here's the Sprint press release via Yahoo.

Cowboys For Real

The Dallas Cowboys faced their biggest challenge of the year last night and came looking like the future NFC champs. Notice I didn't say World Champions. A couple of AFC teams will be a huge challenge. We'll get to see what the Cowboys have against the Patriots on October 14. Romo is for real and the Cowboys offense is really looking good. The Bears offense last night was awful, but their defense was pretty good. The first half of the game was really close, but the second half was all Cowboys. It's great for the NFL to have the Cowboys back as a contender and great for all Cowboy fans.

Intel Shows Off New Chip Set and Possible Implementations

Intel's new Menlow platform was highlighted recently Anand Chandrasekher, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group shared the highlights of the Menlow platform and showed off some possible implementations. The detail that I really like is that the Menlow platform is 802.11n wireless technology, 3G and WiMAX for extended broadband coverage.

"In the first half of 2008, Intel will take a major step to deliver what these users are looking for with our first platform designed from the ground up for MIDs and UMPCs – codenamed Menlow, which will deliver 10x lower power compared to the first UMPCs in the market," said Chandrasekher.

I've also learned a new acronym from this story this new platform is targeting the Mobile Internet Device (MID) and Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) device categories. The difference between a MID and UMPC is the operating system. Intel sees the MIDs to be Linux based systems and UMPCs as Microsoft systems. I really think that the Gphone will be more of an MID than a smartphone.

DailyTech has covered the Intel platforms really well check out the links below.
Intel Details Next Generation "Menlow" MID, UMPC Platform
Intel Announces Ultra Mobile PC 2007 Platform
Intel Announces "Moorestown" UMPC Platform

Another Gphone Story

I just read another story about the upcoming Google Phone, which I love to refer to as the Gphone or gPhone. Digitimes writes that they have confirmation that the new device will be branded as a Google Phone. I'm still not sure about the branding, but it would be good marketing to see people using their Google Phones around town. I'd be very surprised if this device is released without 3G, as I have written I really think this will be a 4G device. Check out the story at DIGITIMES.

P.S. The gPhone image is fake!

Xohm is Coming

Sprint has released a new marketing video about Xohm at the Xohm homepage. Hit the link below and then select "About Xohm" on the page.

Xohm is Coming

Samsung F700 Launch Update

Vodafone will be the carrier launching the Samsung F700 smartphone in Europe. Still no word about where it will end up in the U.S.A. I'm still holding out hope that it will come with Xohm service from Sprint, but I bet Sammy would like to launch it before 2Q 2008.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone and telecommunication equipment provider announced the SGH-F700, an elegant phone for the European market with Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile community. The phone was first introduced at 3GSM World Congress in February earlier this year and is expected to be available in Europe beginning early November. It delivers 3.6 Mbps data speeds under Vodafone’s 3G broadband (HSDPA) network allowing users to experience fast access to the Internet and faster music downloads. With its intuitive touch screen technology, it allows users to navigate freely when using applications and menus.

The Samsung F700 aspires to be the easiest to use multimedia handset on the market with tender touch keypad and a surplus of multimedia functionalities. Samsung has applied its legendary expertise in human interface engineering and design to the Samsung F700, which boasts a full touch screen, touchpad interaction and QWERTY key pad.

Using the new F700, business and creative professionals are able to view content on a 3.2" stunning color display. The device features first class entertainment with a top-of-the-line auto focus 3 mega-pixel camera and 3.6 Mbps HSDPA capabilities, making it easier to watch videos, listen to songs, take high-quality photos, browse the Internet, or catch up on email while on the move. With a full QWERTY key pad that slides underneath the display, it will give users enhanced access to mobile e-mail and text messaging services.

The F700 features new user interface which has been award iF Communication Design Award 2007. As users acknowledge the growing importance that user experience takes on the full touch LCD device as the LCD dominates physically on the device, Samsung has employed analogue cross concept everywhere (across all applications) and has named the UI(User Interface) “Croix” which stands for cross in French. It has an enthusiastic reflection on the usability in terms of input methods, basic navigation, content access methods and task completion scenarios. Pleasure, agility and performance were values when creating the UI.

“We are proud to introduce this new type of innovative multimedia handset. Not only have we considered the latest technology, but also the usability to enhance the user’s multimedia experience,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business. “This multimedia driven handset is designed for consumers who wish to stand out from the crowd, showcasing unrivaled performance, advanced functionality and world-class design.”

Samsung F700 Specifications
Standard HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
Camera: 3 Mega pixel with Auto-Focus
Display: 265,536 TFT (3.2”, 240x432)
Memory: microSD™
Size: 112 x 56 x 16.mm
Features Full Touch Screen
MPEG4/H.263/H.264/ MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+
QWERTY Keypad
MMS / E-mail / JAVA / WAP 2.0
Bluetooth 2.0 / USB
Flash UI / Document Viewer
Full HTML Browsing
Offline Mode, BGM

* Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

More Gphone Musing

SmartMoney had a story about the gPhone and made some really good points. I like to read what the wallstreet analysts have to write about technology and I found the story to be well written. As I have previously written I think that Google is looking for an ecosystem to support an open source type of OS like maybe a Linux based system that has the Google infrastructure to support Google applications like Talk, Maps, Earth, Spreadsheet, Documents, Calendar, Contacts, Photos, Videos, and all the other on-line Google apps. Additionally I think the devices will be GPS enabled so the user will get realtime Maps and Earth location information. The discussions about Google funding a Gphone by selling advertising on the device would be ground breaking and I really don't see how that would work, others talk about a device like the iPhone or iPod, but I can't see that either. Here are a couple of connect the dot type things that I've found coinsidense maybe. I won't be surprised to see HTC and Palm devices that are developed with and for Google. Digitimes has a story about HTC "HTC is still paying close attention to the latest developments in Linux technology." This quote may or may not mean anything or it could be an invitation or a table setting of something bigger to be announced in the next six to twelve months. Another theory or idea that is being spread around is the idea of Google and now Apple bidding on 700 MHz spectrum set to be auctioned by the FCC in 2008. I really don't see either of these companies getting into providing a network, and if they did I would think they would partner with a known entity to provide operational support and they'd have to partner with chip manufactures to create a chipset and then partner with device manufactures to embed the chips. I really think we will see a multilevel collaboration between Google, HTC/Palm, and Sprint (Xohm) utilizing Intel chips. Google and Sprint publicly have announced a partnership, Palm has been working on their Linux based OS for about four years now, and Intel is providing Wi-Max chips to help power the Sprint Xohm ecosystem of consumer electronics. I don't think that these devices will be limited to Smartphone types either I think we will see a new class of UMPC that may look like a Palm Foleo, Nokia's N800, Samsung SPH-P9200, or OQO Model 02 and have Xohm and EVDOrevA support, with video phone, gps, bluetooth, wifi, SD and micoSD expansion. As I read more articles and blog posts I'll add new posts on this topic, because I really think 2008 will be a "watershed" year for mobile data devices that come in small packages, but really pack a punch. As a former Platinum frequent flier I know I would have loved to ditch my heavy laptop and my bulky smartphone for an OQO model 02 with broadband and the smallest mobile phone I could find and if I could sync my calendar and contacts of my little phone with my OQO wirelessly even better.

Pantech Duo

Another new handset has been documented on TBGR. This looks like another really cool device. I've never used AT&T (Cingular) service in DFW, but I hear it's great. I think we are going to see phones that have less than a 2 megapixel camera are going to be low end devices soon. I expect some 5 megapixel phones to hit the U.S. markets in Q4.

New Samsung Smartphone on Verizon Wireless

The Boy Genius Report has an update about the Samsung i760 which is a Windows Mobile 6 device. I really don't care for the design of the device. I do like the sliding Qwerty keyboard, but I prefer a bottom slide vs the side slide, because I like the one handed operation of a bottom slide.

Palm Treo 500v Windows Mobile

After much speculation Palm has announced the Palm Treo 500v smartphone which runs Windows Mobile 6 to be launched on Vodafone Europe in October. Check out the official Palm website for the UK.
Here are some specs:
Platform: Windows Mobile® 6 Standard
Display: 320x240-pixel Transflective colour screen; supports 16-bit colour (up to 65K colours)
Radio:GSM/GPRS/UMTS radio
GSM bands: 900/1800/1900
UMTS bands: 2100
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology: Version: 2.0 + EDR
Profiles: Headset, handsfree, EDR, serial and OBEX. Mono and stereo headsets are supported
Memory: 256MB memory (150MB available user storage)
Camera: 2.0 megapixels with 2.5x digital zoom and video capture support
Battery: Removable 1200mAh, lithium-ion
Talk time: 10 days standby, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time
Expansion: MicroSD card
Connector: mini USB
Dimensions: 16.5mm (D) x 61.5mm (W) x 110mm (H) 120 grams
System Requirements: Windows® XP, or Vista™
Software on device: ActiveSync®, Alarm Clock, Bluetooth®, Bubble Breaker, Calculator, Camera, eBay1, File Explorer, Google Maps1, Internet Connect Sharing, Internet Explorer® Mobile, Messaging, Microsoft® Notes, Microsoft Office (including Excel®, Outlook®, PowerPoint®, and Word), Phone, Picture and Video, Solitaire, Task Manager, Vodafone Mobile Windows® Live™, Windows Media® Player Mobile

Palm / Sprint

Engadget has posted some nice looking Sprint sales documentation for four upcoming devices. The LG Rumor slider, Palm Centro, Blackberry 8130, and HTC Touch. I'm not a huge fan of Windows Mobile but I am curious about the HTC Touch I'd be willing to try one of those out. I wish I could get a new device with all the discounts.

Latest on Palm

Two news items for my favorite device company Palm. First, the new Palm device to be released in Europe is supposedly a Treo 500 with Windows Mobile. I'm not sure if I buy into this rumor, I think we should wait and see what Palm officially announces tomorrow. See the story via TheBoyGeniusReport and mobilityToday.


Update!!!!
New photos have been posted on Gizmodo of the new Palm device that looks like a Centro, but is supposedly called the Treo 500. There is also a white variant of the device, but it does not have the Vodafone badging, so let's wait and see about that one.

One of My Favorite Gadgets

oqo has issued a press release announcing updates to the really cool oqo model 02. If I were a big time blogger I'd get a demo version of this device and write a review, but since I'm not I'll just have to drool....

SAN FRANCISCO – September 10, 2007 – OQO Inc., creator of the model 02, the world’s smallest PC running Windows Vista® and the first ultra mobile PC (UMPC) with embedded 3G mobile broadband, today announced new model 02 products with high performance features that deliver increased Anytime/Anywhere Productivity™ and extend OQO’s lead in the category. To accelerate consumer and enterprise adoption of the model 02, OQO is aggressively pricing its upgraded UMPCs starting at $1,299.
Better Storage: Bigger HDDs, New Flash Memory SSD
The improvements to the model 02 product line start with a choice of high-capacity storage options. In an industry first, OQO now offers an ultra-mobile PC with a 120GB hard disk ideal for video, audio, and data-intensive applications. At the same time, HDD capacities have increased across the board: to 40GB in the entry-level model, and to 80GB in the standard high-end configuration. For users requiring an even more advanced storage solution, OQO now offers the model 02 with a flash-based 32GB solid state drive. The SSD provides up to 50% faster boot and application launch times, as well as increased battery life and the ultimate in rugged physical data protection.
Faster CPU Speeds and Improved Wireless Connectivity
The new model 02 delivers faster CPU speeds of up to 1.6GHz, another industry first in a UMPC. WWAN configurations of the model 02 are now available with higher-speed wireless connectivity provided by EV-DO Rev. A with mobile broadband service from Verizon Wireless or Sprint. EV-DO Rev. A offers data rates of up to 1.4Mbps, improved upstream speed, and lower latency. Users will find Rev. A particularly useful for online video, interactive web content, and bandwidth-intensive enterprise applications.
Reduced Prices
Due to increased volumes and new technologies, OQO is delivering the new model 02 with a lower price point or improved functionality at every level of the product line. The entry-level price for an OQO model 02 has been reduced by $200 (to just $1299) while increasing disk drive capacity by 33%. Additional pricing is available at OQO’s online store at www.oqo.com/store.
“With today’s announcement, OQO further extends its lead in the fast-growing UMPC category,” according to Bob Rosin, senior vice president of marketing & alliances. “OQO created the UMPC and our new products offer performance, wireless and storage options that further advance our vision of anytime/anywhere access to information, applications, corporate networks and the full PC internet.”
The updated OQO model 02 can be ordered today at www.oqo.com/store, by calling OQO sales at 877.676.6688, and through a range of distribution partners with a base price starting at $1,299. Retail locations where the model 02 can be purchased are listed at www.oqo.com/about/retail_locations.html. The OQO enterprise sales team can be reached at www.oqo.com/about/oqo_corporate_sales.html.
About OQO
Based in San Francisco, California, OQO, Inc. has redefined mobile computing with its groundbreaking products, including the new ultra-small, powerful, ergonomic, and connected model 02 released in 2007. The OQO model 02 is a full-featured computer running standard Windows® XP or Vista with embedded EV-DO wireless broadband capability and award-winning design, in a pocketable, dockable form factor that gives the mobile individual or workforce true Anytime/Anywhere Productivity.

Another Writer Muses About Wi-MAX

I've found another writer interested in Sprint's Xohm Wi-MAX 4G network, Ross Rubin. Mr. Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment on Engadget.com. He has written a two part story about the Xohm service and the consumer electronic devices that Sprint would like to see utilize the mobile broadband service. Mr. Rubin also references an article from telephonyonline.com that’s worth a read. I’m looking forward to a mobile XBOX that has Xohm service so I can play Tiger Woods 2008 or Halo 3 on XBOX Live while on my lunch break.

Check out the links below:
Switched On: The WiMAX window (Part 1)
Switched On: The WiMAX Window (Part 2)
Rethinking WiMAX

New From Apple

Apple held their fall product launch yesterday and two big things came to light. First the new iPod Nano will have video capabilities. Secondly the iPod Touch was introduced. What's a Touch? It's basically an iPhone without the phone. It has WiFi for internet connectivity and will supposedly support any and all iPhone applications. If I were to buy an iPod this would be it. Check out the Apple product site.

Palm Foleo Ditched

I'm not going to bother writing a lot about this and let the email that I received speak for it's self. I received this email because I registered on the Palm website to receive email updates about the Foleo. All I can say is wow!

As many of you are aware, we are in the process of building our next generation software platform. We are very excited about how this is coming together. It has a modern, flexible UI, instant performance, and an incredibly simple and elegant development environment. We are working hard on this platform and on the first smartphones that will take advantage of it.

In the course of the past several months, it has become clear that the right path for Palm is to offer a single, consistent user experience around this new platform design and a single focus for our platform development efforts. To that end, and after careful deliberation, I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all our energies on delivering our next generation platform and the first smartphones that will bring this platform to market. We will, of course, continue to deliver products in partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Mobile platform, but from our internal platform development perspective, we will focus on only one.

Because we were nearly at the point of shipping Foleo, this was a very tough decision. Yet I am convinced this is the right thing to do. Foleo is based on a second platform and a separate development environment, and we need to focus our efforts on one platform. Our own evaluation and early market feedback were telling us that we still have a number of improvements to make Foleo a world-class product, and we can not afford to make those improvements on a platform that is not central to our core focus. That would not be right for our customers or for our developer community.

Jeff Hawkins and I still believe that the market category defined by Foleo has enormous potential. When we do Foleo II it will be based on our new platform, and we think it will deliver on the promise of this new category. We’re not going to speculate now on timing for a next Foleo, we just know we need to get our core platform and smartphones done first.

I would like to thank our customers for their interest in Foleo. I know there will be disappointed folks who were looking forward to carrying a Foleo for all their mobile computing needs. I am certainly one of them. I would also like to thank the developers who have supported our Foleo efforts. They have been loyal to Palm and have worked hard to deliver some compelling solutions on the Foleo platform. I know that they will understand that the right thing to do for the long run is to focus on one platform that will live for years, rather than invest energy in a one-off solution. We will make every effort to make sure we bring our developers forward to our next generation platform.

This decision will require us to take a limited charge of less than $10 million dollars to our earnings. This is a lot of money, but it is a small price relative to the costs that would be required to support two platforms going forward. This decision is in the best interest of our customers, our team, our products and our shareholders. I hope this renewed focus at Palm will allow us to deliver more compelling solutions to our core smartphone market, and it will allow us to position ourselves for the long run around one Palm experience.

Ed Colligan
President & CEO
Palm, Inc.

New Samsung F700

Gizmodo has a post about the Samsung F700 picked up from Tech Digest. New pictures of the device are available from PMP Today as well as the new name of the device, Newly christened Samsung Croix, it has a four-directional touch input, which explains why it’s called “Croix.” Tech Digest did a story about this phone back on February 8, 2007. I really hope this device is headed to the states via Sprint.

gPhone Update

As more and more news services write articles about the possibility of a Google Phone it seems the details just get repeated over and over. There is little new in the stories I have links to below, but worthy of a quick scan. In the "Five Facts..." article there is reference to two different posts by Simeon Simeonov from the Open Gardens blog that are really interesting reads, so I added unique links to these two posts below. Kudos to engadget for the post with quotes and links to the articles below.

“The Ideal Mobile Software Stack” by Simeon Simeonov, February 19, 2007.

“The Real Google Phone” By Simeon Simeonov, March 7, 2007

Boston Globe "Introducing the Google Phone" by Scott Kirsner

"Five Facts About Google Phone" written by Om Malik

Sprint Sees Growth Beyond Cell Phones

There's another good article by Peter Svensson an AP Technology Writer about the Sprint 4G/Wi-MAX/Xohm effort. The stock market analysts are almost all taking a wait and see attitude towards this new technology and network roll out of Sprint's. I'm also a "believe when I see" type of person, but I can't pretended that the idea of the network isn't exciting. Read the article on Yahoo.