Garmin Nuvifone snapped by T3, still to be released Q1 2009

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The Nuvifone – remember that? The phone-cum-sat nav? Yes, it still exists, with T3 getting the opportunity to fondle it recently.

You’ll be pleased to hear it’s still slated for an early 2009 launch, and will be with an exclusive mobile network here in the UK, much in the same manner of the iPhone is with O2, and the Android G1 is with T-Mobile. As you can see from the photo gallery of our hands-on pics, we’ve had to blur the network logo, but we’re assured all will be revealed in the coming months.

When it was first officially confirmed by Garmin in January 2008, the lure of ultra-fast 3G internet  and GPS maps seemed tempting. Now, almost a year later, and a slew of handsets fitting that bill perfectly (step forward iPhone 3G, Android G1 and Nokia N96), it’s attracted a fair bit of criticism for taking so long to get on the production line.

 

Well, with them being the pioneers of the GPS software in mobile phones today, it is only befitting that they launch their own mobile phone. Could be a good wait if ever, and if the device’s hardware is primarily Garmin made, then reception will surely be of extremes.

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Fuji’s limited edition Instax Mini 7S camera

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If you want the safe option, go for a digital camera. If you want an element of chance in your photography, bag yourself a Fuji Instax Mini 7S.

This modern camera uses old school Polaroid-style technology for super-quick snaps that are quite literally ready in a shake, thanks to Fuji’s instant Instax film. Yes, forget Flickr and Facebook, these are photos you can genuinely share with your mates on the night, even if they are packed with red-eye, passing strangers and the occasional thumb over the lens.

 

For anyone who misses the real simple point-and-shoot cameras without sacrificing quality or having to talk about aperture, shutter speeds, red eye reductions, focus, etc etc., this is a pretty good buy. To think it’s from polaroid technology (which by the way is pretty much has a good quality in terms of shots).

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iPhone Flip launches in China

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 Yes, we know it’s a fake, but we can’t resist this latest knock-off from China, dubbed the iPhone Flip.

Guaranteed to turn a head or two, the handset packs in a 2.6-inch screen, 3MP camera, an audio/video player and ’some games’ – as long as you can work out which icon accesses said features. On the downside, you can’t check your email, browse the web, download new apps, watch YouTube or find your way home via GPS. Or at least we presume not, our Chinese isn’t what it could be.

 

China phones sure are getting better and better. Anyone interested – it’s up for grabs on your local eBay site and Sulit.ph!

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BlackBerry Storm bug fixes are coming

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The BlackBerry Storm is an undeniably beautiful handset. Sadly, users have found that this beauty is only skin deep. Software gripes that were optimistically passed off as mere niggles in demo units soon started showing up in the proper retail versions.

 

The list of complaints is now longer than a BlackBerry user’s average email string and has been subject to a few conspiracy theories. Happily, RIM has heard your cries and is readying an update to soothe some of the pain.

 

A list of planned updates has leaked from Verizon – the US carrier that has exclusivity rights on the Storm.

 

To think that I just posted about how a columnist hated it, fortunately an answer seems to be underway – bug fixes. Hopefully BlackBerry quirks out the bugs found on the phone, as their fans and non-fans alike badly need it.

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Motorola launches the D10 and D11 home phones

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Admittedly they’re not made of bamboo or old tyres, but the Motorola D10 and D11 home phones still tick a few of the eco boxes.

For a start, 20 per cent of each phone is made from recycled material, which is good news for the old carbon footprint. And if you want to save on power consumption, an eco mode means less battery power and more talking, while an optimised output adjusts itself depending on how far the phone is from the base unit. You save money, we all save the planet. Everyone’s a winner.

 

Motorola is really reliant on trendy mobile phones that other phone manufacturers such as Nokia and Samsung heavily relies on. Their devices are broad, beginning from mere networking devices to international radio devices such as that used by Nextel with its mobile communications. These D10 and D11 are just that – rather than focusing in features, it goes with practicality and eco-friendly. Pretty good really.

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Christian Dior mobile phone breaks cover

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Releasing a mobile phone with a $28,360 price tag might not seem like the best idea in these troubled times, but when we tell you this is the Christian Dior mobile phone, you’ll probably realise it isn’t aimed at the likes of us.

Movie moguls, Russian billionaires and footballers will no doubt be all over it, loving the choice of crocodile skin or Swarovski crystal finish (640 of the little beggars to be precise), whilst no doubt being slightly disappointed by the paltry 2MP camera and 2.6-inch screen if they have an ounce of intelligence.

 

 Oh, and don’t be buying this expecting you’d get extremely rich features because of the price tag you’re taking it with. Like the author states, it’s just a “statement phone for the stupidly rich”, and yes, you heard it, for the “stupidly” rich.

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Stephen Fry slams the BlackBerry Storm

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Can a middle-aged comic actor kill off a high-profile mobile phone? Well, if that person is Stephen Fry, quite possibly.

Fry has been giving the BlackBerry Storm a good kicking, verbally of course, via his Twitter blog, describing the potential Apple beater as ‘Shockingly bad’, ‘embarrassingly awful’ and finally ‘ iPhone killer? Ha!’. It doesn’t look like he’ll be trading in his iPhone any time soon.

 

Bad shot for BlackBerry I guess – the lack of functionality and processing for a better user response sure really is putting their Storm down. Hopefully they address this and pretty much by then be able to claim that they are indeed an “iPhone killer.”

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BMW creates the car key credit card

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If someone at the till is flashing their BMW car keys, they might just be showing off. Or they might be paying for their goods with that could be called the BMW car key credit card.

Yes, this pocket-sized device gets you into your luxury motor, but it also packs in a security chip that allows that same ‘key’ to be used as a credit card. And that’s not all – with a decent-sized bit of memory hidden away in there, you can also take your personal subscriptions, favourite radio stations and contact details with you from car to car. And any sales you make with your key can be monitored online via a secure site.

 

Pretty much like the concept of mobile payment systems in Japan – but hey, if you own a Bimmer, this is one plus point you can’t simply resist!

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Notebook makers mull Intel and ARM hybrids

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IT’S NO SECRET that ARM has wanted to get one up on Intel in the netbook market, but it seems now that makers of little lappies might be willing to accommodate, with talk of hybrid ARM/Intel netbooks just around the corner.

A Hybrid netbook including both an Intel CPU and an ARM-based processor would be a major coup for the British chip firm and would also give punters something of an ideal balance of performance and power saving in a single system.

Lower power, more energy efficient ARM processors would be able to provide great access to the Internet and applications like Email, without the system having to actually boot up completely, thereby saving a ton of battery life. The Intel processor would kick in for more power-intensive apps, meaning that theoretically, battery life could be extended to around 15 hours.

 

If OS-Compatability issues can be solved (note: Microsoft’s XP and Vista OS does not allow you to just take of your drive and mount it on a completely new system, you’d have to install a new), this is pretty much going to be like what the Hybrid Toyota Prius does in cars – lower costs, but not on fuel consumption, but on electricity. This is a pretty good development. Hopefully something comes up soon with this hybrid theory, I mean hey, they were able to make hybrid graphic cards, how much more can hybrid CPU’s be that hard?

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Google Maps novel is a real page turner

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CHRISTOPH BENDA’S first novel Senghor on the Rocks seems to be the first which combines text with an embedded map mash-up from Google Maps.

The book is in German so we have not read it but, according to the snazzy pictures we have seen, the map, which is fixed in the “Satellite View” mode, moves as the location changes in the novel and every page of text is accompanied by a corresponding map.

Quite why we would be interested in exact locations of where everything is in a story is a mystery to us, but the German’s like to do things very precisely. Thus it makes sense that, if the boy stood on the burning deck, you would want to know the exact co-ordinates of the boat and the location of the nearest service station.

 

Cool! Who would’ve thought adding a satellite view through Google Maps in a novel would work? This is pretty much of a first coz’ I’ve never heard of any writer using such technology to complement his writings.

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