Day: March 6, 2008

“The variety of device types aimed at one particular niche normally signifies that this market is currently emerging. It is always amusing to observe how a fancy trend suddenly turns into a must-have technology buzzed on every corner, and everybody seems to like it, trying to put it into use literally everywhere. This way, mobile Internet is currently available with cellular phones (where it’s appropriate), PMPs, laptops, gaming consoles like the Sony PSP etc. Access to the web is also “enormously important” in household appliances – TVs with this feature onboard are already out there, just pull the plug in the socket, tap into a wireless network and you are good to go. I ran into these marvels in some hotels; however I never felt any urge to use them at all: with no keyboard and letter-by-letter input it seemed like a very awkward experience. The things that used to be jokes and anecdotes, like Internet in your fridge’s door, are getting more and more real today, and what’s more, some people actually buy these gimmicks.” Read this interesting article here:

“midomi (there’s that lowercase initial letter again – I wish companies wouldn’t do this!!) is an established ‘hum it and we’ll recognise it’ service that’s been around the web for a while – but they’ve just launched a native S60 client, getting our attention at last.Essentially, thousands of people round the world have used their PC’s microphone to record themselves singing some or all of songs that they like. Sometimes badly, sometimes in hideous accents and sometimes out of tune, but hey, at least they bothered. The midomi servers then produce a digital fingerprint of the way the tune rises and falls, its timing, and so on. Then, when someone else wants to track down a song they’ve heard but can’t place, they hum or sing it into their own microphone and midomi finds a match and reports what the song is. In theory.In practice, I achieved about 50% accuracy, trying a dozen or so songs from hard rock to light pop, from the well known to the rather obscure. The mobile client itself is excellent, working over Wi-Fi and remembering the preferred access point. Handling of the microphone is good and there’s a visual bar display on-screen while recording, so that you know if you’re too quiet or too loud.” Read more here:

“Rumors about an upcoming Asus Galaxi Mini communicator leaked to the web early in February. This time Asus has officially announced the device with the index P320 at the CeBIT 2008. This is a compact communicator of a low-end class featuring good functionality. Asus P320 will hit stores in Europe in 2Q 08 at a €300 price.The specs of Asus P320: Networks – GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 CPU – TI OMAP 850 200 MHz 128 MB ROM, 64 MB RAM OS – Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Display – 2.8” touchscreen QVGA 2-megapixel camera Built-in GPS-receiver SiRF III Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 MicroSD-slot” via mobile-review.com