Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

The last time we mentioned Toshiba’s M400, it was rocking a lowly Core Solo processor and a 1,024 x 768 resolution LCD, but now Toshiba is upping the ante on the convertible by tossing in a Core 2 Duo chip along with HSDPA technology. Aside from receiving a 2GHz Intel T7200 CPU, the upgraded machine also sports a 12.1-inch SXGA+ display, 80GB SATA drive, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, dual-layer DVD burner, integrated stereo speakers, and the obligatory built-in UMTS / HSDPA SIM card slot for that 3G goodness we all know and love. Moreover, the Portege M400-3G touts a PCMCIA slot, 4-pin FireWire connector, S-Video / VGA outputs, 5-in-1 flash card reader, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, integrated WiFi / Bluetooth, and a trio of USB 2.0 ports to boot. It will reportedly also feature a “slice expansion battery” to prolong its life while computing out in the wild. While Toshiba hasn’t leaked any information on pricing, we do know that this svelte convertible will be hitting Middle Eastern shores in “Q1 2007,” but we sure hope Tosh brings the goods over to this side of the pond soon after.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

It hasn’t even been a week since we first spotted the new LG C1 XNote, but already the first reviews are starting to trickle in (sort of). See, we came across what is supposed to be the first Korean review of the LG C1 XNote, however, we’re pretty sure that there must be something lost in Google’s translation, because this “review” doesn’t exactly pull apart the nitty-gritty of this tablet. Whatever though, it sure does have some brilliant photos. Here’s what we were able to garner from the review: the LG C1 XNote has an nVIDIA Geforce 7300 Go, HSDPA, a 10.6-inch screen, a SD and CompactFlash card slot, and a USIM slot (all stuff you could find on the spec sheet). If any of our readers who understand Korean can perhaps help us out with some more info that we missed out on, you know how to find us. In the meantime, check out one more snapshot that we snagged of this bad boy on the next page.

[Via Slashgear]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia gets the lion’s share of the attention when it comes to the S60 platform and Symbian generally — perhaps rightfully so, considering they ship far more Symbian-based smartphones than any other vendor — but Samsung would like to politely remind everyone that they’re an S60 licensee, too. Their latest effort, the SGH-i520 slider, had its coming-out party this week at the Symbian Smartphone Show, and the spec sheet looks to give Nokia’s E- and N-series multimedia powerhouses an honest-to-goodness run for their money. The typical 2-megapixel camera and QVGA display aside, the i520 packs an HSDPA radio — something no released Nokia handset has managed to do; granted, the N95 does it, but we’ve got a little wait ahead of us for that monster. Lucky owners also get a microSD slot should they find the 45MB of usable storage a bit light, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and a front-facing VGA shooter for those ever-popular video calls. Per protocol, it doesn’t seem that a US launch is in the works, but one can never be sure; stranger things have happened.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

For all you internet junkies out there (and if you’re reading Engadget on a Friday night, we’re referring to you), you’ll be pleased to know that Intel’s newest chipset for next-gen UMPCs are getting some 3G love from Sierra Wireless. This dovetails nicely with the announcement yesterday that Intel’s Santa Rosa chipset would be also be getting some HSDPA action, but from cellphone giant Nokia. Intel also said that its newest ultra-mobile chip will be based on the Core 2 Duo, will only draw half as much power, and will measure just one quarter the size of the current chipset. Ok guys, we don’t mind you shrinking the devices, but for the love of Gordon Moore, please don’t make those screens any more squint-inducing.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Thanks to countless leaks over the last several months, one of the most anticlimactic smartphone releases in history has finally gone official. Palm has issued all the juicy details on their UK site, and… well, it’s pretty much exactly what we expected: internal antenna, quadband GSM with triband UMTS (lending itself to a Cingular release), and a superbly average 1.3-megapixel cam sitting atop Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition. The phone is still apparently in the pre-order phase, though Vodafone’s site is showing a price “From Free to £127.66″ (about $240) depending on contract — not bad considering what you get, but whether similar pricing will carry over to Cingular is another question entirely.

[Thanks, Wolwol and Camp]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, BenQ-Siemens, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS

In the event Europeans are still unhappy with their selection of 3G-capable devices, BenQ’s trying to come to the rescue this week, showing their UMTS SL91 slider and E81 candybar — along with the more pedestrian EDGE-only E71. All three handsets share some visual cues, sporting glossy black finishes and rounded lines, though the similarities mostly end there; potentially most interesting of the three is the SL91, a Chocolate-esque, “mysteriously opaque” device featuring the LG phone’s now-trademark disappearing navigation keys. Besides UMTS, the SL91 goes big with a 3.2-megapixel camera, QVGA display, and FM radio with RDS. One notch down the food chain is the E81, giving up some screen real estate with its 220 x 176 display and trading 3.2 megapixels for the more standard 1.3, but mercifully hanging on to the microSD slot. Finally, the EDGE-only E71 steps back up to QVGA, but the real draw here should be its “innovative non-stick coating” that promises to hide fingerprints on its shiny exterior. All three phones look to drop before the year’s out, though odds are slim Americans are invited to the party. That’s alright, BenQ; we prefer our phones good and smudged with fingerprints, anyway.

[Via Reg Hardware]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: EV-DO, CDMA, Misc

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

If you’re all worked up wondering if someone got their hands on the “$5,000 limited edition” version, you can calm down a bit. Nevertheless, we’re thrilled to finally see a review on the self-proclaimed “world’s most desirable laptop” even if it focuses on the slightly less expensive versions. The 2.2-pound Q2010 fared well, according to Laptop Mag, who praised the notebook’s styling cues and fresh looks, but frowned upon the cramped keyboard and atrocious battery life (1:39). This isn’t the first Fujitsu to draw complaints about a lack of juice, and it seems to be its all-too-common achilles heel on otherwise solid products. Amongst the specs on the low-end model is the 12.1-inch 1280 x 800 screen, which has a gorgeous glossy finish, and under the (“world’s thinnest”) hood is a meager 1.2GHz Intel Core Solo, 512MB of RAM, 30GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a space-hampered offering of ports with just two USB 2.0, one FireWire, and an SD reader. Higher-end versions keep the costs heading upwards by including 1GB of RAM and up to an 80GB HD. It’s worth noting that you can nearly triple your battery life by throwing in a $179 extended battery that pokes from the rear and adds 9 ounces of bulk, and you won’t have an optical drive without an external add-on or attaching the $299 docking solution (notice a trend?). The Q2010 is impressively thin at only 3/4-inches, but $1,999+ seems to be a bit much based on specs alone, but as we’ve seen before, style can come with a premium pricetag.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: EV-DO, CDMA, Misc

As the saying goes, “You snooze, you lose.” Such is the case for LG Telecom, Korea’s 3rd-largest carrier behind SK Telecom and KTF, which purchased a license to deploy 3G services on the 2GHz band in 2001 for 1.15 trillion won ($1.2 billion, give or take), but has yet to do anything with said license. According to the terms of the license agreement, the services had to be in place by the end of last month, and an advisory board has subsequently given the thumbs-up to Korea’s Ministry of Information and Communication to yoink the license. LG Telecom’s CEO, Nam Yong, has said that deploying 3G at 2GHz would be counter to market trends and they’d like to upgrade their 1.8GHz network instead, but it appears the heart-of-stone MIC is going ahead with the revocation nonetheless. And here’s the real kicker: Korean law stipulates that any company failing to make good on a 3G rollout remove its chief executive. Oh, but don’t you worry about Mr. Nam; rumor has it he’ll likely land comfortably somewhere within LGT’s corporate parent — you guessed it — LG Electronics.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, LG, Cingular, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

So Palm has officially announced one of those three Treos we were promised at the end of last year, and just as we expected, this Windows Mobile 5 AKU2-powered model will be sold exclusively overseas. Unfortunately the company neglected to include a detailed spec sheet in its press release — more information will be available closer to the as-yet-unspecified launch date — so all we really know at this point is that it’s destined for Vodafone’s 3G UMTS network in several European countries. Also unclear is how this model relates to other upcoming Treos we’ve seen under such codenames as Hollywood, Lowrider, Nitro, and Lennon — we sure wish Palm would be a little more forthcoming with its product roadmaps. As usual, though, you can always count on us to bring you every little bit of Treo news we get our hands on, even if Palm and friends don’t give us much help putting it in context.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Palm, Vodafone, Windows Mobile, GSM, UMTS

So Palm has officially announced one of those three Treos we were promised at the end of last year, and just as we expected, this Windows Mobile 5 AKU2-powered model will be sold exclusively overseas. Unfortunately the company neglected to include a detailed spec sheet in its press release — more information will be available closer to the as-yet-unspecified launch date — so all we really know at this point is that it’s destined for Vodafone’s 3G UMTS network in several European countries. Also unclear is how this model relates to other upcoming Treos we’ve seen under such codenames as Hollywood, Lowrider, Nitro, and Lennon — we sure wish Palm would be a little more forthcoming with its product roadmaps. As usual, though, you can always count on us to bring you every little bit of Treo news we get our hands on, even if Palm and friends don’t give us much help putting it in context.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, UMTS

French site PPCReviews has managed to score a Qtek-branded copy of the hotly anticipated HTC Hermes, and thanks to some decent Google translation, we’ve managed to take away quite a bit from the thorough review. Many folks are expecting the Hermes to be a superstar compared to its already good older brother, the Wizard, but PPCReviews is a bit bummed out about the switch from miniSD to microSD expansion, the lackluster battery performance, rather portly 175 grams, and lack of true VGA display. Of course, we all know the good stuff the Hermes brings to the table by now, and the review ends on a happy note, confirming that the 3G and fresh 400MHz Samsung core work wonders for the device. Pardon the interruption, everyone; you can go back to incessantly refreshing Expansys’ TyTN product page every few minutes in the hope of an early shipment.

[Via kaitech.hk, thanks Ajit]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

While much of the world awaits 3G to grace their airwaves, a coalition of companies in the wireless industry are putting together a nonprofit organization in the UK this month to promote the development of 4G. The “Next Generation Mobile Networks” group, consisting of founding members KPN Mobile, Orange, Sprint Nextel, Vodafone, and T-Mobile plus add-ons China Mobile and NTT DoCoMo, is looking to 2010 for the commercial deployment of 4G devices – that’s less than four years away, folks. We’re somewhat skeptical 4G is going to come together for any substantial population in that amount of time, but just in case, we’re going start compiling our list of things to do with 2.5Gbps of WWAN bandwidth now.

[Via EE Times]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Sprint-Nextel, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, Misc

Filed under: Cingular, HSDPA, UMTS

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

It’s a rough world out there, and no one should be without 3G nowadays — especially not anyone whose job requires them to carry a Panasonic CF-18, one of their iron-clad ToughBook class laptops strong enough to take a bullet (ok, maybe not really). Looks like Panny landed a deal with Cingular to incorporate HSDPA into the CF-18 by way of a Novatel Wireless Expedite EU730 UMTS / HSDPA card, presumably a Mini PCI add-on. Nope, it’s not the first shot the ToughBook has had at having 3G in its lifetime — and we assume it won’t be the last — but this does add Panasonic to the short list of HSDPA laptop makers, as well as to the growing list of companies offering help in the way of laptop-internal 3G while remaining relatively (though never entirely) carrier agnostic.

[Via The Wireless Report]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Laptops

We're a little too excited to type straight right now, but you would be too if you'd just found out that the "world's most desirable laptop" will be available in a mere sixteen days. That's right, the $5,000 Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook Q2010 -- yes, the one with HSDPA and that snazzy piano black finish -- is a little over two weeks from seeing the light of day, according to a rather uninspired "teaser" site recently posted by the company. Besides the inclusion of wireless 3.5G networking and a fashionable exterior, however, it's still not clear what makes this machine so desirable; for our five grand, we're hoping to see something like AMD's "4 x 4" platform packing four GPUs and two dual-core processors into this hot little 2.2-pound ultraportable -- is that really asking too much?

[Thanks, wolwol]

Filed under: Culture

Note to self: don’t send MMS porn to heads of state or their spouses. Not ever. Unfortunately for tech-savvy Cambodians, someone already ruined their fun when Prime Minister Hun Sen’s wife and her friends complained that their phones were suddenly rife with the XXX stuff. Never one to put technology before morality, the Southeast Asian nation swiftly banned its freshly-launched 3G network, because “We can wait 10 more years until we have managed to improve morality in society,” so sez the boss. Yikes! If being forced into 1xRTT and EDGE purgatory for the next 10 years isn’t a good reason to overthrow the government, we don’t know what is.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, O2, Windows Mobile, GSM, HSDPA, UMTS

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Sharp, Vodafone, Symbian, GSM, UMTS

New Softbank property Vodafone K.K. has announced four new 3G handsets -- along with the 2G Toshiba V304T "simplephone" -- that will be released this summer in Japan, including Sharp's 905SH clamshell with a 2 megapixel camera and One Seg digital TV reception. Also seen before was Voda's version of Nokia's N71, dubbed the 804NK, which sports those same multimedia and smartphone features along with obvious addition of bilingual menus. Like the three models mentioned previously, the Toshiba 705T and Sharp 705SH SLIMIA also sport clamshell designs, with the Tosh featuring external music controls and the Sharp (pictured) rocking dual cameras. Additionally, a sixth model, Sharp's 2G V403SH (also a flip phone), was announced as getting a summer makeover, and will now come in your choice of cloth beige or cloth blue.

Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, Pantech, EV-DO, CDMA

What do we know about Pantech & Curitel’s new SKY IM U-MU110 clamshell (besides the fact that it has a tongue-twister of a model number)? Not much, unfortunately, as AVING is heavy on the images but light on the deets, so all that we can discern about this model — two megapixel camera, 1GB of memory, EV-DO, external music controls — comes from pics of the so-called “Jukebox” phone. Besides snapping photos and rocking tunes, pictures seem to indicate that the IM U-MU110 also makes voice calls. No word on such trifles as pricing or release dates/locations, but keep reading for another hot pic…

[Via MobileMag]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Multimedia, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS

When a person is on a mission, he/she can accomplish anything, no matter how Rube Goldberg-esque the solution turns out to be, so you can forgive Gary Lerhaupt's rather complicated how-to on streaming recorded programs to any 3G-enabled cellphone. Far too detailed to go into the specifics here, Lerhaupt's method basically programs your MythTV box to send recorded TV shows to a computer running Apple's open source Darwin Streaming Server software, which sets up dedicated URLs for each file and allows you to stream from your handset's browser at will. Those without pretty decent tech skillz should probably not attempt this one, as even the how-to assumes some knowledge of 3gp video conversion, script running, and something called an rtsp streaming protocol; instead, you're probably better off spending a few extra bucks on that Windows Mobile phone and employing the no-brainer solutions that the good folks at Orb and Sling Media have already come up with.

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, HSDPA

South Korean consumers looking for some serious mobile bandwidth need not wait until June to pick up one of LG’s SH100 handsets that we brought you earlier today, because SK Telecom has just announced that their HSDPA network is live in 25 cities as of today, and that a new model from Samsung is available for the rollout. Besides 2G, 3G, and 3.5G data support, the new Samsung SCH-W200 — which is the first of five impending HSDPA phones, including the SH100, that will available by year’s end — offers both a two megapixel as well as a VGA camera, S-DMB TV capabilities, MP3/AAC playback, text-to-speech, and perhaps most importantly with all these features, multitasking. Although theoretically capable of 12Mbps downstream traffic, SKT’s HSDPA network will currently only deliver a relatively pokey 1.8Mbps to the W200 — with 3.6Mbps promised for later this year — but claims to be the only WCDMA network in the world to offer guaranteed video conferencing performance through circuit, and not packet, switching.

Read- HSDPA rollout
Read- HSDPA speeds (subscription required)
Read- Samsung SCH-W200

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

Don't wanna wait for Sony to complete their teaser campaign to peep that Vaio they're trying to generate some buzz about? Don't worry, jkOnTheRun has got you covered (well, maybe). According to site founder James Kendrick, a "reader who wishes to remain anonymous" sent him a number of pictures of this supposed ultraportable Vaio, which do indeed feature all of the disparate components visible in Sony's brief Flash movies. Besides portraying the device as a UMPC-style tablet with sliding QWERTY keyboard, one of the pictures clearly shows the words "Bluetooth," "WLAN," and "WWAN" on the screen's bezel when viewed full-size. We can also make out that fingerprint scanner and Motion Eye from the teaser campaign, as well as a MemoryStick Duo slot and a "capture" button, which may indicate the inclusion of a camera on the back of the device. Of course these pictures, even if genuine, reveal nothing about the actual guts of the machine, so Sony still has several important details such as processor types/speeds, operating system (a return to PalmOS, perhaps?) and storage system/capacities to hold over our heads. More pics are available by following the "Read" link...