Day: February 23, 2006

Treo’s built-in web browser, Blazer could sure use some sprucing up, and the folks at Opera Software say they have just the thing, Opera Mini, for use on some Treo SmartPhones. Technically, however, Mini is not a browser. It’s a Java client – big gotcha – that retrieves re-formatted, compressed pages from an Opera-savvy server. Most recent cell phone models have a small Java client built in, so Opera Mini, at about 200k, can reside in a phone’s memory. Ironically, Treo 650, a high end smartphone, does not ship with a Java client, and adding one – also mercifully free – chews up almost 2 MB, a high cost to replace Treo’s native Blazer. Actually, you can’t really “replace” Blazer, since it’s in ROM, but rather you can just ignore it and install a third party replacement and use that instead. Blazer doesn’t really “blaze,” and Opera’s potential strength is its server-side compression, which could greatly reduce the number of bytes transmitted. Translate that to smaller files, faster download, lower cost, especially if you’re on a metered data plan instead of unlimited data. Other gotchas get in the way, however, not the least of which is that the program doesn’t yet support Verizon and some other phones/networks. (For a current list of what is supported, see this page. Read this review here:

LG KC8100 will run the Windows Mobile V5.0 Pocket PC Premium O/S on its 520MHz Xscale processor. Bundled software include standard MS Word, Powerpoint, and Outlook. With its wireless LAN support, access Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere. The two cameras on the phone are a main 2-megapixel camera with auto-focus and a secondary VGA Camera. Embedded with 100MB internal memory add more with a mini SD card. Also inclusive is Molans’ language learning assistant program. via ubergizmo.com

We are pleased to announce the new release “VoiceDialIt” for Palm Treo 600/650 smartphones. This new release includes all dialing features from the older Voice Dialer Std and Voice Dialer Pro versions. In addition, we have added improvements to the Voice Recognition Engine and User Interface. To learn more about “VoiceDialIt 1.1.0” and see a Quick Start Video please click HERE.Benefits :* Allows you to dial with just your voice.* Saves monthly fees for telephony voice dialing services.* Helps prevent accidents while driving.* Keeps you focused on who you are dialing, not how you are dialing.

There’s a nice review of Civilization over at AllAboutSymbian- “I’m not Douglas Adams, but I’m more than happy to paraphrase a really good line from the late, great man… “Civilization is big. Really big. I mean, you may think that Pathway to Glory was involved, but that’s nothing compared to Civilization.” To sum up Civ (to give it its weekday name), you’ve in control of the Earth, rather like a god. You start with massive empty rolling fields, and by building infrastructure, managing resources, and exploring other areas of the world, you can eventually achieve your aim of either landing the first settler on Alpha Centauri, or achieve complete domination in the world by conquering all the other civilizations on Earth.” via clieuk.co.uk.0>

Mio technology has unveiled its plans for the upcoming CeBIT show, which will take place from 9 to 15 of March. The company plans to introduce a series of GPS-devices. The Mio C710 and Mio C510E are specialized GPS-navigators. They are similar in design and main specs. Both of them are powered by Windows CE .Net 4.2, equipped with microphones and support Bluetooth interface. The Mio C710 has more digital maps of Europe TeleAtlas onboard, it supports TMC function to track traffic conditions.

The Mio C210 is positioned as a simple navigator. It doesn’t support either Bluetooth or TMC. It is also powered by Windows CE .Net 4.2. A map of just one European region in installed.

The Mio H610 features extended multimedia functionality. Besides its battery ensures 17 hours of MP3 music playback. There are plenty of of TeleAtlas maps onboard.

The Mio P550 is not just a navigator, but a handheld PC. It is powered by a 400 MHz processor and Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. It has Bluetooth interface and supports Wi-Fi wireless networks, so you can use it for Internet-telephony. There is an expansion slot for SD and MMC cards. Unlike the P550 the P350 handheld doesn’t support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Besides there will be introduced a long-awaited GPS-smartphone Mio A701. It works on Intel 520 MHz processor and Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. It is equipped with an expansion slot for SD and MMC cards, a 1.3-megapixel camera and Bluetooth interface.