I’m not a huge fan of garish, overly expensive mobile phones – I just don’t see the point unless you’re a Z-List ‘celeb’ and lack the imagination what to spend your fee for embarrassing yourself on the latest reality TV show. Thing is, I do love mechanical watches (RADO especially if anyone wants to add to my collection – would really appreciate a Spacewing or NCC 303) so this Celsius X-VI-II $300,000 mechanical cellphone caught my interest. Apparently this phone will be officially outed at Baselworld Watch Show but Watchismo has busted loose some shots of this ‘butterfly-inspired’ mechanical mobile. Naturally the swish mechanism is exposed so the less rich (or more tasteful) can marvel at your blowers intricate...

Motorola describe the Android 2 based Milestone as “The Phone Without Compromise” so in this series of articles we’ll look at it closer so see whether it lives up to it’s name. First impressions are very good – read on… First off, the box is worth a mention – the device arrived in a small, easily accessible, box – complete with the phone itself, a getting started guide, Media Link software on CD, a pair of headphones (together with clip and additional protectors), a USB cable, and a USB charger plug. No over the top fussy packaging, no difficult to get into sealed plastic casings – moments after the phone arrived it was out of the box and ready for charging. The device feels very solid, and well engineered, when held in the hand. In this sense it feels on par with...

Now, I’ve already met SE’s new range of phones but I was looking forward to perhaps getting the pleasure of actually unboxing one or more for myself. But, oh no! Sony Ericsson goes and does it themselves! Yup. The sparkly new X10 handset gets its first video unboxing by the hands that made it. This is just wrong! If you don’t mind this kind of perversion go ahead and look below! Related posts:Sony Xperia Mini and Mini Pro Out in Barcelona Sony Ericsson Rachael and Kiki – Could Rachael be the Xperia X5 Android? Sony Ericsson Xperia X5 Spotted on Interweb!...

The mythical PSP Phone as well as an iPad baiting tablet may well slip out from Sony – Well, that’s how the Wall Street Journal sees it. Sony CEO Howard Stringer is looking towards Apple for inspiration in order to bring success back to Sony’s door. The Japanese company is already making steps with its Sony Online Service having iTunes firmly in its sights and add that to a bunch of new mobile gadgets to use SOS – it sounds like plots are forming. The report claims a source says that there will be a PSP-phone and an iPad style tablet that “blurs distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PSP.” These new devices will join the PSP Go and get access to SOS which will enable them access to games, music, movies and, more-than-likely, e-books....

The Nokia X6 32GB is labelled “Comes With Music edition” and with 32GB storage it means business – and not just business but entertainment too. The entertainment is not just about music on this Symbian (OS version 9.4) S60 5th edition device though, the vibrant 3.2” capacitive touch screen (640×360 pixels, 16:9 ratio, and up to 16.7 million colours) together with the huge storage could just as easily handle movies and games whilst easily fitting in business applications – all from the Ovi store. The weight of the device is just 122g, which manages to cram in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), Java MIDP 2.0, Flash Lite 3.0, Assisted GPS, Accelerometer, Web Browser, Mail for Exchange (needs downloading), IMAP, POP, SMTP email options, and a 1320 mAh Li-Ion battery which should...

Is it me or are the public at large generally thick when it comes to using mobile phones.Normally if you can't hear the person on the other end then you would turn up your volume a bit but a passenger in the car this afternoon was on a call and he couldn't hear what his mate was saying and demanded that his mate "Turn HIS volume up so that his mouth is louder". (His words, not mine)When you turn the volume up on a phone you are increasing the level in the ear piece. Not the mouthpiece. He then went on to say to his mate that he couldnt hear him for all the music in the background. Wouldnt it have made sense if that person had left the room and moved somewhere quieter before attempting to make the phone...

If you want to make a big exit then a top, no holds-barred funeral would not be complete without a totally bling coffin. Gold, of course, can be the only way forward but then what else? Well, just in case you need to place some pizza orders in the after life, this crass casket comes compete with a mobile phone and GPS just in case someone wants to melt your resting place down. I was going to comment on how good phone reception’s going to be 6-10 feet below the topsoil and encased in gold – but I’m thinking that there’s not going to be many complaints being texted into the funeral directors. The price? 280,000 euros. Related posts:LG IQ Phone Complete with Projector – Monaco Released LG VX9600 Modular Mobile Phone Spotted Lego Click With...

Nokia are working on a super swift wireless data transfer technology that they’ve dubbed: Explore and Share. Nok’s Helsinki branch of their Research Center took the concept for an outing at a Nokia Store where Jyri Hämäläinen presents an impressive show and tell. In the video he walks you through a live example of how it can be used, including wirelessly transferring a Bruce Springsteen album onto a phone in less than 10 seconds. As Jyri explains, it could be used to fill a device you’ve just bought with stacks of the apps, tunes, and the likes within minutes of purchasing your new Nok. Explore and Share is based on new radio technology and as you’ll see in the vid the system comes in two parts – the ‘writer’ which you place your mobile...

This is what I’ve been expecting/hoping but now ‘industry experts’ are saying that the Apple iPhone 4G will look quite different from the iPhone 3GS. Alriiiiiiiiiiiiiight! Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes reckons that Apple “will try to change the game on everybody – it bothers them that everyone stole their form factor.” I can totally see where he’s coming from and the fact that Apple has made a name for itself as being a ‘game changer’ the Appley one might be looking to make a leap rather than another minor tweak. Let’s face it – Since its release in 2007 the iPhone’s exterior design hasn’t changed but still has become an icon. In comparison, the iPod did change quite a lot in its first three years. Would you prefer the iPhone...

One of the joys of mobile devices this year, thus far, has got to have been getting some hands on time with the new Sony Ericsson X10 Mini and Mini Pro (compact versions of the...

Near Field Communication seems to be on the cards for Apple’s next gen iPhone looking at the new Apple patents. Imagine being able to use your iPhone to open doors, as a travel card or to unlock your Macbook. Late last year there was hinatge in another Apple patent that RFID and their Grab and Go app might be linked to similar effect, but it seems that Apple has decided to go with NFC tech instead – well, they might just be making sure both ideas are covered by patents. It makes sense to assume that the NFC cleverness would then be ported over to the iPod Touch, Macbooks and Macbook Pro and the Apple iPad. This could also be a good thing for O2 now that other providers are offering the Apple handhelds as O2 has already worked with Nokia on their NFC packing phones that...

I recently wrote about the Sony Ericsson Vivaz (see Sony Ericsson Announce New HD Vivaz Smartphone) which is due for release soon and I recently got some hands on time with the device. It really...

Every hardware tweaker will know about BUGLabs‘ build-a-phone, kinda like a Modu self-build, but now it’s had a refresh. BUG 2.0 is now faster and Android ready. The latest BUGBase, which is essentially the brain and nerve center, has been upgraded to TI’s OMAP 3 platform. Before I get “huh?” from you – this actually brings the base up to spec with the likes of Motorola’s Droid and the Palm Pre. Because it now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with top-end smartphones it’s only reasonable that it should support Android – thankfully it does. This also gives the new BUGBase tastey access to the Android App Market. Worry not gadget builders! Although the BUGBase is new and sparkly it will still play nice with all those other bits...

Barcelona’s MWC has been buzzing as to what Microsoft was going to bring to the stand. Even though the Project Pink hasn’t been officially outed yet the Windows Phone 7 Series has. “Smart design and truly integrated experiences” is how the big M describes it. What is cool is the Xbox LIVE games and Zune music and video marketplaces that will drop content directly to your Windows Phones. Microsoft already has partners building phones with Windows Phone 7 Series inside, in Europe the first to confirm its involvement is Orange, which says it’ll be making handsets with all of Microsoft’s new gaming and media skills inside, as well as Orange TV and Orange Navigation services. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted those ‘Live Tiles’ that replace the usual...

If the only thing holding you back from owning Sony Ericsson’s HD recording Vivaz is your fear of virtual keyboards – have a look-see at the new Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro! The QWERTY board adds a tiny 2.5mm to the Vivaz’s slimline ‘human curvature’ contours, but you do seem to lose some features. Instead of an 8.1 MP snapper of the Vivaz, the Vivaz Pro gets a shaved down 5.1 number. You still, however keep the lovely 720p HD video recording and a 3.2-inch screen which is a relief! Wi-Fi, GPS and the 3.5mm headphone jack are as should be as is the microSD card slot. “Having announced Sony Ericsson Vivaz™ in January we are now adding a sister phone that includes a QWERTY keyboard along with the touch screen for a superior messaging and entertainment experience,”...

More phone news – well, the Mobile Word Congress aint far off is it? It appears that Sony Ericsson’s latest lovely, the Vivaz, has cropped up on Vodafone’s website with a UK launch date. The new 8.1MP camera phone will be available on Vodafone from March with prices still under wraps but you can register for updates if you’re keen to get it on with the shiny Symbian touchscreen blower. So what do you get other than the scaled down (well, compared to the Satio) 8.1 megapixel autofocus snapper? How’s about HSDPA and Wi-Fi for fast surfing, and GPS as well as HD video recording? Other appealing goodies include FM radio, TV-out at VGA resolution. The Vivaz will also be sold in four colour pallets astronomically named: Moon Silver, Cosmic Black, Galaxy Blur and Venus...

Now, you may have figured out that I like a decent rumour served with a hefty slice of gossip. According to iPhone repair site, iResQ, the next generation of iPhone is going to be super-sized and not Nanoed. iResQ has posted photos of what it says is the case for the iPhone 4G and, as you can see, it’s a quarter inch taller than the current 3GS. If the pictures prove genuine this would mean that the hardware may well be different in other ways; that’s as well as it being the first time that Apple has moved from the standard iPhone template since we first gawped at the original in 2007. Obviously it’ll have a larger screen so maybe iBooks could come across to the iPhone – but could this make the iPad even more pointless? The curiosity of the new front panel has...

Mobile-Review seems to have a bit of a scoop – this, they say, is the new Vodafone 360 phone. Dubbed the Vodafone Compass (which may confuse people as Vodafone Compass is also the name of a GPS app), it could well be the third Vodafone 360 social networking phone. What makes this interesting, apart from the shape, is that the previous phones have been Samsung touchscreen numbers but here we have a square thing rocking a QWERTY board a-la Nokia 7705 Twist. Vodafone 360 gives you a bunch of social networking niceness such as the geographic coordinates of friends, the address book yanks in Facebook updates and all sorts of contact options like IM and email. Apparently some of the functions on the Compass 2010 will be gesture controlled using that centralised button on the back. It...

I tend to get quite blasé these days when I read about another new Japanese mobile phone. Well, I expect large OLED screens, 12MP cameras minimum, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, double digital TV tuners, 3D holographic displays – you know, the usual Let’s face it though – until you read the spec-sheet they all look the same – generally clamshell phones. This is why the Fujitsu’s F-04B is noteworthy. It’s the first to feature a two-module body. That’s right my gadgety friends. The ‘Separate Keitai’ (Keitai means handset in Japanese) has the ability to split into 2 parts which can be used independently (a keyboard section and a display slate). One part features a 3.4 inch touchscreen with a 12.2MP camera (there’s also an inner...

Whilst the UK and other countries are trying to kill off smokers via hypothermia or poverty it takes a place like China to even the score. Yes, the boldly named “The Machismo!” is billed as being “the world’s hottest cigarette lighter mobile phone.” Personally I can’t argue the latter statement as I am complete unaware of the lesser mobile phone(s) that feature a built-in cigarette lighters. Chinavasion.com explains: “The problem with modern life is you have to carry around too many things in your pockets. Wallet, keys, iPod, cellphone, and if you’re a smoker – a cigarette lighter too. Well here’s the perfect solution – The Machismo. Instead of carrying a phone AND a lighter, just turn this amazing phone around, slide open the safety latch, and the underlying...

It seems that the chances of getting a Zune Phone are getting more likely. Spanish tech blog, MuyComputer reports that NVIDIA has confirmed it will be joining Microsoft to announce the Zune Phone at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona. This makes plenty much sense as the Tegra chip is already used in the very capable Zune HD. As well as being a potent performer it’s also kind to the battery. So – should Jobs & Co be watching carefully? Well, if all the rumours about the Zune Phone are true – quite possibly. This is a new phone so an ideal chance to slip out the new Windows Mobile 7. This already has multitouch so there’s one huge hint right there methinks Also with WinMo7 – word is that the big M will only allow their precious on OLED...

Hey Apple Fanpeople! Have you already decided which model iPad you’re going to get? Made the decision whether or not to add £130 to the price and get it with 3G? Can’t wait for that shot of new, shiny Geekahol? Well, you’ve probably got an iPhone right? If it happens to be a jailbroken handset then you can make your [...] Related posts:iPhone eBooks and eReaders out Gun Games for First Time iPhone Commodore 64 Emulator Gets Turned Down as Does The Corners of my Mouth Adobe Flash Coming to iPhone – Bringing 2 Million Developers With......

Remember the Nokia N-Gage? Cool idea but I found the large, bulky handset based on Nokia’s Series 60 platform less than enticing. Well those phone futurists over at Recombu have decided that there’s a significant gap in the market for a gaming phone – hush all those that are screaming “what about the iPhone!?!”. This slim ‘n’ sexy number is dubbed the Nokia Orion. This concept is aimed at portable gamers that also want their handset to also be a mobile communications device without the clunky embarrassment. There’s cool looking gaming controllers on the front teaming up with the almost expected touchscreen. Round the rear you get a letterbox screen and full QWERTY pad. If it has decent graphics and a snappy processor (and was real) I would...

The Android operating system is an exciting development in mobility and it seems to have penetrated the historically closed mobile operating systems market very quickly. It gets even more exciting... Please visit www.jasonslater.co.uk for downloads, hints/tips, news and more......

The Smartphone has been growing fast, but in the last year or two it seems to be levelling out a little. Accelerometers, Digital Compasses, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth, Camera, Wi-Fi and Touch Screens... Please visit www.jasonslater.co.uk for downloads, hints/tips, news and more......

  If you have a supported Nokia phone you can head over to the Nokia site and download Ovi Maps for free. Ovi Maps was previously known as Nokia Maps and shows a clear shift ... Please visit www.jasonslater.co.uk for downloads, hints/tips, news and more......

The Zune / Xbox Phone rumours had quietened down for a while but now Katherine Egbert, an anylist with Jefferies & Company, has said that Microsoft is getting ready to bust out a phone based on Windows Mobile 7. This would make the job offer make sense as well don’t you think? “Our recent industry checks indicate Microsoft will be debuting its own phone sometime in the next two months,” Egbert said. “We expect the new phone to debut soon, at either the Feb 15-18 Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona Spain, or possibly at CTIA in Las Vegas one month later,” announced Egbert. This new handset is set to have 720p HD video capabilities, at least a 5MP camera, and that will run Windows Mobile 7. She also mentioned that Windows Mobile 7 will include...

Look, we don’t want to keep rubbing it in, but unless you’re avid Bitterwallet reader Jordan Hall from Whitby, you didn’t win our recent Google Nexus One competition. Sorry and that. Jordan sent us an angry email earlier demanding to know why his Nexus One hadn’t arrived yet so we’ve had to stop playing with the phone and carefully repackage it as if it were new. But for what? Here’s a Nexus One ad that will show exactly what will happen in Jordan’s place of dwelling tomorrow when his fucking phone arrives. For data protection reasons, the part of Jordan is played here by some tiny......

Apple keeps holding Flash away from its flagship phone even though it seems that Adobe keeps asking nicely to join the party. It sounds like this may change soon and with Flash comes Adobe’s 2 Million or so Flash Developers and they’re all heading towards the iPhone – whether Apple wants them or not! The next version of Adobe’s Flash developer tools, Creative Suite 5 (currently in private beta), will include a “Packager for iPhone” app which will automatically convert any Flash app into an iPhone app. So while Flash apps won’t run on the iPhone, any Flash app can easily be converted into an iPhone app. (Microsoft is taking a similar approach with Silverlight). This is a bigger deal than many people appreciate. As you know, most video on the Web (YouTube,...

At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s the start of a new decade and this, in conjunction with the Technofile celebrating its 5th birthday (albeit slightly belatedly) seems like the perfect opportunity to give out some awards. Unlike everyone else’s awards though, the Technies are not for the best of 2009, or even for...

Chatting to some of my buddies last week we discussed the importance of the next iPhone having a better camera and thought that the rumoured 5MP replacement was a good idea. The point I made was that I could live with the 3MP version in exchange for a decent flash. Hello – what is this? It looks like Apple may be looking for mass quantities of LED flash components to improve low-light shooting. This latest rumour seems to point at the Philips’ LumiLEDs line and a contract thought to be in the tens of millions of units. The flash would be a much welcomed addition to the iPhone and if coupled with that 5MP sensor – Ooooooo….. Kiss my face! Related posts:Adobe and Apple Buddy Up To Bring iPhone Flash New iPhone Packing 5mp Camera in June? Apple to Flash New...

Say hello to the latest reason to get excited if you own an iPhone. Using the handsets accelerometer and connecting via Wi-Fi you can fly the Parrot AR.Drone! As if that wasn’t cool enough it has two on-board cameras that beam a pilots-eye view right to your phones screen. This means that you don’t need to see the craft in order to pilot it – the great outdoor beckons! If you do loose connection then autopilot kicks in to gently land the drone. If you’d rather stay in the safety of home then you can use the included foam propeller hubs to avoid injuring pets, loved ones and decor. Now for the best bit! Yup, it gets better! The AR part of the name stands for the very 2010 Augmented-reality. This enables you to create race circuits around your area that are superimposed onto the...

When Google decided to sell their own Android blower, the Nexus One, almost as many column inches were given to how they’d do this as were given to the actual handset. Well, they’ve opened a new store, from which they plan to sell Android phones from a variety of carriers and manufacturers. This will be a one-stop-shop for your choice of Android mobile. There’s nothing really new about Google.com/phone but by bringing all those phones together it shows that Google may have been getting concerned about having bits of Android dotted about the place. Having it all centralised should strengthen the brand identity as well as making the punters life a little easier. The Nexus One has obviously gone all official now and the pricing seems to follow a familiar format: $180 on...

Google Nexus One - Engadget.com Uh-oh! Could this be moistening the touchpaper ahead of Google’s big Nexus One reveal tomorrow? According to the Gadgety crew of Engadget the gPhone aint all that! Hang on – Isn’t it supposed to be the latest iPhone killer? Engadget have got their mits on the new Google Phone and seem to find it hard not to liken it to a slightly faster Motorola Droid (Milestone over here) albeit nicer to hold. They also say that the HTC design is handsome but wont really blow you away with its good looks. I’m guessing not the kind of thing that Google want to hear before the Californian press conference. By all accounts the Nexus One is running Android 2.1 and sports a 3.7 inch touchscreen and a 5MP camera – This is the phone that Google...

I’ve lived with the Sony Ericsson Satio for a few weeks now and it’s time for a review methinks. Out of the box it is noticeably lighter than my iPhone but also feels a little more brittle to me. I am not saying that it’s poorly put together or feels cheap but I think I’ve just got used to the substantial feel of my Apple blower. Being stocked with a mighty 12.1 megapixel camera there’s no real surprise that the Satio comes with a load of photo features such as the usual face detection as well as things like Touch Focus, Smile Shutter and BestPic options. The active lens cover is mighty slick and I’ve had worse on stand-alone cameras. The Satio’s cover slides open smoothly and the camera is live quickly – shame that this adds to the...

A new year and Orange have revealed their latest weapon in the battle of the networks. Orange has announced that they’re bringing HD to voice calls this year. Hi Def calling is promised to make you feel like the caller is in the same room as you (good thing or not?) as well as filtering out background noise to make calling much clearer. Orange said: “High definition voice doubles the spectrum devoted to the spoken voice, making it possible to transmit all the nuances of the human voice.” Orange’s HD Voice service promises improved audio quality between the bandwidths of 50-7000 Hz, compared to the current narrowband speech codec of 300-3400 Hz. If this sounds like a good thing to you chances are you’re going to need a new HD handset in order to get the benefit of...

Google has just announced that they’re having a press event on January 5th in Mountain View. The big G’s invite says: With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we’ve seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible. Please join us in Mountain View on January 5, for an Android press gathering. I’m thinking that a big fat Nexus One announcement will be the main event and no doubt the Google Chrome Netbook may get a mention. What do you reckon? Related posts:Google Chrome OS Coming to a Netbook Near You in 2010 Google Branded Netbook Packing Chrome OS Coming Soon – Google Hardware More Googlephone News Comes To Light – Nexus One Confirmed...

This has yet to be confirmed officially but according to the Daily Mail article, Google employees road-testing its touch screen ‘iPhone-killer’, Google’s purported own mobile phone, the... Please visit www.jasonslater.co.uk for downloads, hints/tips, news and more......

After this picture appeared on Twitter following the breaking news on the same microblogging site that some Googlers were handed the new Google blower more information has trickled out. Not only has Google confirmed that its employees have been given a new mobile device to test but it seems that the new smartphone is to be called Nexus One. Mario Queiroz, VP of product management, has posted on the company’s mobile blog that works have been given “a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities” and that “This means that they get to test out a new technology and help to improve it.” The New York Times reports that longtime Android buddy, HTC, has been given the...

What do you get if you cross the iPhone with mid 1990’s rap fad G-Funk? You get the FunkPhone of course. Or the gPhone, which is what we’re calling the new handset that is due from Google in 2010. Other sources claim that the phone is being developed by HTC and that it will an improved version of Android once it arrives in a few month’s time. Google haven’t officially unveiled the thing yet, but The Register are reporting that device has been shown off to selected Google employees, with one of them, Les Hawthorn, quickly blab-blogging about the thing all over Twitter. Sez Les: “Stuck in mass of traffic leaving work post last all hands of 2009. ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful.” We’re choosing to ignore the fact that most of her...