Gadgets and Mobile Electronics

This section of the website focuses on gadgets and gizmos that you carry round with you. This fun section covers Cellphones, MP3 and MP4 players, Digital Cameras and loads of other gadgets. Feel free to visit our forums to discuss Gadgets and Mobile Electronics.

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Latest News

Toshiba and Matsushita to manufacture small OLED displays

Toshiba Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will become the first Japanese companies to mass produce organic electroluminescent, or OEL, display panels, the Nikkei newspaper reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., 60 percent owned by Toshiba and 40 percent by Matsushita, plans to produce 1 million 2.5 inch (6.3 centimeter) panels per month for use with devices such as mobile phones and car navigation systems beginning in the northern hemisphere's autumn of next year, the report said.   They're playing catch up at the moment.  Samsung are hoping to start manufacturing these little gems before the end of the year.

Nokia unleashes new Supernova series

Recognising that no one style fits all, Nokia today unveiled a new range of products to let consumers express their personal styles on a number of levels ranging from stylish designs, to personalization through vibrantly hued exchangeable covers.

The first four devices to launch as part of the new Nokia Supernova range feature a mix of bold colors and of-the-moment designs, evoking the allure of the latest statement handbags or must-have sunglasses.  Aimed at style conscious men and women who want to stay connected, the new range delivers exceptional mobile functionality alongside a variety of music and internet experiences.

"As we rely more heavily on mobile phones to stay connected, they increasingly know everything about us and have become a window into our worlds," said Jo Harlow, vice president, LIVE category, Nokia.  "With the Supernova range, we set out to give people the ability to set themselves apart in the same way that they would with a traditional statement accessory."

The new Nokia 7610, 7510 and 7310 Supernova devices give people an option to truly personalize their look by matching the style of their phone to their ever-changing moods with a choice of exchangeable Xpress-On covers in striking colors and glamorous surfaces. 

The new line reps mid-range fashion (think L'Amour, but not over the top) and comes in your choice of two candybars, a flip, or a slider as the 7210, 7310, 7510, or 7610, respectively. The 7210 features a tri-band GSM radio plus EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, and an FM radio; look for it to launch in the third quarter for €120 (about $189). The 7310 apes the 7210's look but adds support for changeable Xpress-On faceplates, TV-out, and support for GSM 850, and while all that extra kit adds €35 (about $55) to the price over the lesser model, it's available now. The 7510 goes for the flip form factor but carries over most of the 7310's spec sheet, waiting it out until the fourth quarter for a €180 (about $283) launch in scary colors like "Fatal Red". Finally, the 7610 (no, not that one) moves up to a beefier 3.2 megapixel camera and hits next quarter for €225 (about $354).

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Apple iPhone 3G released!

The iPhone 3G has finally made it to market and it's hard to think of any other device that's enjoyed the level of exposure and hype that Apple found in the launch of the first iPhone. Who could forget it? Everyone got to be a gadget nerd for a day; even those completely disinterested in technology seemed to come down with iPhone fever. But the original device was still far from perfect: its limited capabilities (especially in the 3G department), high price of entry, and the small number of countries in which it was available kept many potential buyers sidelined. Until now -- or so Apple hopes.

The wireless industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, and it's become pretty clear that the first iPhone wasn't about total domination so much as priming the market and making a good first impression with some very dissatisfied cellphone users. With the iPhone 3G, though, Apple's playing for keeps. Not only is this iPhone's Exchange enterprise support aiming straight for the heart of the business market, but the long-awaited 3rd party application support and App Store means it's no longer just a device, but a viable computing platform. And its 3G network compatibility finally makes the iPhone welcome the world over, especially after Cupertino decided to ditch its non-traditional carrier partnerships in favor of dropping the handset price dramatically. $200? We're still a little stunned.

So now that Apple finally stands poised for an all out war on cellphone-makers everywhere, will the iPhone 3G stand up to the competition -- and higher expectations than ever?



Review in short
If you're an avid Symbian, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile / Exchange user, chances are you might think the iPhone 3G is Apple playing catch-up -- and you're not wrong. 3G, GPS, third party apps, enterprise messaging, these are all old hat. But even the would-be iPhone killers being churned out weekly haven't yet found a way to counter the iPhone's usability and seamless integration of service and software, desktop and mobile, and media and internet.

There are always things that could be improved, features to be added, fixes that should be applied -- but from first to second gen, from year one to year two, Apple has proven itself a relentless upstart in the mobile space, and is showing no signs of slowing down. All those new features give the iPhone even more appeal than ever, but the price is what really seals the deal.

For our money, you're going to have a hard time finding a better device for two hundred bucks -- or maybe even for any price. But that doesn't mean you ought to toss your original iPhone, either. With the release of iPhone 2.0, Apple's given early adopters every possible new feature for free, meaning the iPhone 3G's biggest roadblock to adoption in the US may be its still very worthy predecessor. But as Steve says, "If anybody is going to cannibalize us, I want it to be us." As for the rest of the world? Things are about to get interesting.

Nokia buys out Symbian, in full

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia is paying 264m euros ($410m; £209m) to buy out the other shareholders in handset software firm Symbian.

Nokia, which already owns 48% of the UK-based firm, intends to develop its software to compete with Google's planned Android operating system.  Nokia said Sony Ericsson, Ericsson, Panasonic and Siemens had agreed to sell their stakes in Symbian.  It added that Samsung was also expected to accept the offer.

For its part, Symbian said the takeover was "a fundamental step" in the establishment of the Symbian Foundation, which is expected to start operating in the first half of 2009.  The foundation will bring together Nokia, AT&T, LG, Motorola, NTT Docomo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone in collaboration on a new, royalty-free open software platform for mobile phones.

According to Nigel Clifford, chief executive of Symbian, it could signal a sea-change in how the software platform is developed.  "We're freeing up innovation - this is epoch-making. Nothing like this has been put into the open-source community before."  The aim is to unite several different existing operating systems - Symbian OS, S60, UIQ and MOAP.

More information

iPhone 3G is finally official, starts at $199, available July 11th

It's been a long, leak-filled wait, but Apple finally took the wraps off its 3G iPhone. Thinner edges, full plastic back, flush headphone jack, and the iPhone 2.0 firmware -- Apple's taking a lot of the criticisms to heart from the first time around. Obviously 3G is at the forefront, but they're also making sure it's available all over internationally, works with enterprises, runs 3rd party apps... and does it all for cheaper. Apple claims its 3G speeds trounce the competition, with pageloads 36% faster than the N95 and Treo 750 -- and of course it completely trounces the old EDGE data. Battery life isn't getting put out to pasture though, with 300 hours of standby, 8-10 hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. GPS is also a go. Apple is using A-GPS, which supplements regular satellite GPS data with info from cellular towers. WiFi data is also worked into the mix, which should give users a pretty solid lock on where the heck they are on this planet. Unfortunately, there's no front-facing cam, which syncs with what we were hearing, but is still a little disappointing. Apple hopes to launch in 70 countries this year. 8GB is available for $199, 16GB for $299 -- and the 16GB comes in white. Both pricepoints require a contract. Apple will be hitting the 22 biggest markets, including the US, on July 11th.

Other tidbits:

It's a teensy bit thicker. 4.5 by 2.4 by 0.48 inches (115.5 by 62.1 by 12.3 mm), and weighs 4.7 ounces (133 grams).
Radios galore: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), UMTS / HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
A SIM ejector comes in the box, at last.
There's no dock included, just a USB power adapter and dock connector.
On AT&T unlimited iPhone 3G data plans for consumers will be available for $30 a month, on top of voice plans starting at $39.99 a month. Unlimited 3G data for business users will be $45 a month, on top of voice. There's a minimum two-year agreement, but we're not positive what that'll look like for those currently enslaved to an AT&T contract -- you could be looking at a solid four years of time if you just took the plunge.

Apple's new MobileMe service will be coming with the iPhone 2.0 software, bringing push email and contacts for all.
Apple's official page is here, and you can watch the new ad here.
Available on July 11th in: Australia, Austria, Belgium (French), Belgium (Dutch), Canada (English), Canada (French), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French), Switzerland (German), UK, USA
The rest of these are slated to get the phone this year: Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, C. African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macau, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, Qatar, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, Uruguay.

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