“French MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) and WiFi hotspot operator Neuf offers customers a dual-mode handset based on Linux 2.6.10 this month. Neuf’s “Twin” phone supports GSM and WiFi, and offers worldwide VoIP calling at standard mobile rates through Neuf hotspots and CPE (customer premises equipment). Neuf claims to have 32,000 WiFi hotspots around the world. It also offers home Internet access, and operates a virtual GSM network in France by leasing time on network infrastructure owned by other companies. Neuf’s “Twin” phone appears to be a rebranded version of Wistron NeWeb’s GW1, which was expected to enter production this quarter. Along with Linux, the GW1 is based on Qtopia 2.2, the first version of Trolltech’s graphical application stack for mobile phones to feature support for voice-over-WiFi. Additional details about the Neuf Twin:
Triband GSM phone
802.11b WiFi
4 hours in-use battery life
200 hours standby under GSM, 50 hours under WiFi
176 x 220 TFT display with 262K colors
Email client (POP3, IMAP4)
300 contacts
MP3 player
Hands-free operation
Opera 8 browser
Calulator, watch, calendar, voice recorder
4.2 x 1.8 x 0.75 inches (106 x 45 x 19mm)
3.6 ounces (95grams)
Neuf will offer two plan options for its Twin phone. The first, priced at 200 Euros and available in mid-June, will provide an unlocked version of the phone for use with other operator networks. The other, starting in mid-July, will provide the phone for 1 Euro, when purchased with a broadband contract with “Neuf Box” access equipment. This option features unified Internet/mobile phone billing.” via linuxdevices.com
Asus Launched 3 New Phones Including the P525 in Asia
“Asus launched three new handsets yesterday including the P525 Window Mobile 5 quad band PPC phone, the J208 ultra thin slider tri-band phone and the M310 handset with 2 MP CCD camera. The Asus representative also mentioned that Asus will introduce three more new handsets in Q3 this year including the V80, J210 and the 3G smartphone P305. More about the P525: The Asus P525 is a quad band GSM world phone that targets to business users. The P525 runs on an Intel Xscale processor at 416 MHz with Windows Mobile 5 OS. It supports Push email, comes with Office apps support. It has built in WiFi, GPRS and Bluetooth. It ships with Skype with Skype-in and Skype-out capability. The P525 has a built-in 2 megapixel camera with auto focus. For multimedia. the Asus supports MP3 and MPG4 and 3gp videos along with 3-D gaming. The Bluetooth for hands free options also supports A2DP to work with stereo accessories. The Chinese version of the P525 will have an English-Chinese/Chinese-English dictionary and IBM TTS pronunciation tools for business users.”Read the extended article at mobiletechreview.com
TMobile Sidekick 3 complete specifications
“We’re very surprised that T-Mobile decided to not include Bluetooth 2.0 or Wi-Fi with the Sidekick 3. The Sidekick 3 also features a trackball on the right-hand side of the device for more advanced browsing capabilities. A huge improvement over the Sidekick II’s track wheel. Keep an eye out on July 10th for the Sidekick 3 from T-Mobile. The price point still hasn’t been announced but expect to pay between $200 and $400 depending on your contract upgrade.” Read more at digitaltrends.com
Philips Xenium 99 details at mobile review
“At the site of Philips you can come across the details of a new mobile phone with long battery life and with Motorola RAZR styled keyboard – Philips Xenium 9@9This is a candy bar shaped mobile phone with a touchscreen LCD, a 1.3-megapixel camera, an MP3-player and an expansion slot for miniSD cards. The phone features very long battery life, up to a month in the standby mode and up to 8.5 hours in the talk mode. The technical specs:
Dimensions: 108×46.5×17 mm
Weight: 85 g
Battery: Li-Ion, 1100 mAh
Camera: 1.3-megapixel, CMOS
LCD: touchscreen, CSTN, 65536 colors, 128×160 pixels;
Sound: 40-tones polyphony, MP3-ring tones, AMR, Midi, SP-Midi, MP3 files; sound recording – up to 30 minuts
Memory: 20 MB, mini SD slot
Messages: SMS, EMS, MMS, e-mail
Networks: GSM 900, 1800, 1900 MHz / GPRS Class 10
Voice functions: voice recording, voice commands and voice dialing, voice notes
Other functions: Java MIDP 2.0, calculator, currency converter, organizer, world time, voice recorder, sleep mode, black list for SMS calls, picture viewing on a TV screen.
Connectivity: USB, IrDA port” via mobile-review.com