“When it comes to smartphones produced by HTC, it really is nothing new to see them offered under different brands, sporting different names. After all, just about every handset offered from i-mate is really an HTC phone in a thinly-veiled disguise. The latest in this trend is the rumoured i-mate Jas Jam, a rebranded version of the hot HTC Hermes Pocket PC phone.Apparently a blend between the company’s Jas Jar and Jam/Kjam line of phones (also made by HTC), the i-mate Jas Jam is also the same as the MDA Vario II offered through T-Mobile. The feature set is quite impressive, with Windows Mobile 5.0, a 300MHz processor, 2.1 megapixel camera, 128MB ROM, and 64MB RAM. Perhaps the most attractive thing about this particular phone is its ability to connect to just about anything just about anywhere. In addition to the standard GSM and GPRS, the Jas Jam can also make use of UMTS, HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi.” via mobilemag.com
ETen M600 communicator: much memory, better camera, rumors
“French-speaking Mobinaute appears to have sneaked out some details about the upcoming replacement model for the E-Ten M600.The Taiwanese company is rumored to be readying the M600+ Pocket PC Phone, which should rejoice the mobile community with a number of improvements over its predecessor. The list includes: 256 MB ROM, 2.0-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth 2.0. The original model is equipped with 128 MB ROM, 1.3-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth 1.2, respectively.Apparently, E-Ten is not intended to make any improvements to the GSM radio sub-system of the handset, which is pretty sad and may turn many potential buyers away from the revamped model.No word on the availability nor pricing of the M600+ as of this writing.” via pdalive.com
Toshiba to Launch 2GB miniSD Memory Card for Cell Phones
“Toshiba today announced an expanded line-up of large capacity miniSD Memory Cards with the introduction of a 2-gigabyte (GB) capacity card.”As mobile phones increasingly offer high-resolution cameras and support for digital music, demand is growing for a small, versatile, high capacity storage device for images and music. For the growing percentage of cell phones equipped with a miniSD Card slot, Toshiba’s new 2GB card addresses these requirements,” said Brian Kumagai, business development manager, NAND Flash, for TAEC.With the addition of the new 2GB miniSD Card, Toshiba will expand a product line-up that already extends up to 1GB. Key Features The 2GB storage capacity is ideal for mobile phones with megapixel cameras and music player functions and is able to store up to 35 hours of music. Maximum writing speed of approx. 5MB/s Adopts CPRM advanced copyright protection functionThe Toshiba 2GB miniSD Memory Card will be available in June 2006 priced at $109.99.” via slashphone.com
Nokia Releases S60 Web Browser into Open Source
“Mobility-enhanced code release to drive open source collaboration, reduce browser fragmentation & deliver true web rendering on smartphone devices World Wide Web Conference 2006, Edinburgh, Scotland – Nokia today announced the release to the global open source software community of the source code for S60 WebKit, the engine for its leading-edge Web Browser for S60, marking a turning point in the drive toward an open code base for web browsers used on mobile devices. Nokia’s contribution of the S60 WebKit source code, with key mobility enhancements that make WebKit easier to port to different mobile platforms, will enable reduced fragmentation in the next generation of mobile browsers, simplifying content development for the mobile web and accelerating adoption of mobile browsing by millions of smartphone users worldwide. The web browser source code released by Nokia comes under the terms of the open source BSD License, a highly permissive software license with few requirements that is one of the most popular licenses among free software developers worldwide. The source code will be made available to open source developers through the WebKit Open Source Project (www.webkit.org). Nokia’s open sourcing of the engine to its high-performance S60 mobile browser, which replicates on handheld devices the true web-page rendering of complete desktop browsers, marks the start of a collaborative open source effort that will enable smartphone users industry-wide to push beyond the millions of mobile-friendly pages currently on the web and begin to experience full web browsing of the estimated 25 billion pages on the Internet today.” More at Nokia’s press-release. via i4u.com