Filed under: Networking

In what appears to be a potentially disruptive move, French ISP Free has just opened up its network of 300,000 subscribers’ WiFi networks across France to its subscribers. What does that mean? If you’re a Free subscriber living in Paris, and you and you come across a Free WiFi network while in Lyon for the day on business, you can log in and use up to 64kbps of bandwidth no problem. All new Freebox HD subscribers will have this feature turned on by default, so we assume that also means you can turn it off if you’re concerned about privacy. Now for those of you who might not be familiar with Free, it isn’t just your garden-variety ISP, no sir. For €30 per month ($38), Free will give you a pair of boxes (known collectively as the Freebox) that comes with a DSL modem at 24Mbps, includes a digital TV receiver, 4-port switch / WiFi router with MIMO, built-in VoIP with free calls to 28 countries, and can stream TV to your computer and DVDs from your computer to your TV. Also, Free recently introduced two new handsets (pictured): its white model (WiFi-only) goes for €60 ($75), while the black model is WiFi and GSM and goes for €200 ($250). So to recap, let’s say you want to roam around l’Hexagone with your laptop or your WiFi handset, and you’re a Free subscriber, then you’ve now got one of (potentially) 300,000 locations around the country to choose from. Some industry watchers like Yannick Laclau are convinced that if companies like France Telecom or Telefonica (Spain’s incumbent telco) or Verizon were to make a move à la Free, it would mean better and less expensive service for everyone, and also might wipe out FON in the process.

Read – GigaOm
Read – Yannick Laclau
Read – Net Economie

 

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

Now that we know the Treo 750 is poised for a Cingular release here in the US, we’re kind of over Vodafone’s version of this Windows Mobile 5 smartphone, but because we’ve got mad love for our European audience, we’ll keep covering it until they pry us kicking and screaming from our keyboards. Following numerous spy shots, reviews, and announcements regarding this device, there’s pretty much nothing that we don’t know about its feature set — quad-band GSM with UMTS, 300MHz CPU, 240 x 240 pixel screen, Bluetooth 1.2, miniSD expansion, 1.3 megapixel camera, and of course, still no WiFi — but despite all the interest, a solid release date has yet to be announced. Well, until now that is, as Vodafone has finally updated its UK site to list an October 2nd launch (why do we feel like this thing has been “launched” like ten times already?), with that same vague pricing window of “free to £127.66 ($242.90).” So, congratulations dear friends across the pond, you’ll have your gadget-loving hands all over the 750v in a few short days; us Americans, meanwhile, are just preparing ourselves to go through the whole dog-and-pony show of leaks, rumors, and false starts all over again.

[Thanks, Nirav M.]

 

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: Handhelds, Home Entertainment

You know, there are all kinds of people in the military these days. And we just know that the geekiest of our armed forces are going to go gaga over this new UMPC, called the Catcher. This new rugged, superportable computer has 802.11a/b/g support, Bluetooth, dual-mode CDMA / GSM data, fingerprint reader, GPS, iris scan, a pair of VGA cameras (one pointing toward the user, and one away), and an “emergency alert feature” that sends an auto tracking signal back to the server. The Catcher is also designed to support a three foot drop and up to 50 Gs of shock — slightly better than our consumer-grade laptops, hey? We’ve got zero intel on price or availability, but surely Uncle Sam spares no expense for our elite fighting force. And we’re sure that our men and women in uniform running around Saddam’s former palaces are going to want something like the new application Lifeware to control audio and video systems that they surely have spread throughout the house. Lifeware promises to control everything from temperature to audio controls, but no word on if our soldiers will be able to run military applications, control their in-base audio systems, and play solitare all on the same device, which would clearly be the holy grail in convergence.

[Via jkOnTheRun and eHomeUpgrade]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Not a day’s passed after we caught word of Sprint’s launch of Novatel’s S720 PC Card do we hear that Sierra Wireless has a proverbial one-two punch of WWAN modems up its sleeve, this time of the USB variety. First up in Q4 of this year will be the 595U, an EV-DO Revision A device topping out at a purely-theoretical 3.1Mbps downstream, followed by the quad-band GSM, tri-band HSDPA 875U humming along at 3.6Mbps in Q1 2007. Both USB modems look to be coming in sleek little packages with internal antennas and matching cradles, support location-based services, and have upgradeable firmware. If these things really look as slick as the press shots make them out to be, we may not be whining for a Rev A ExpressCard after all — if the ship dates hold up, that is.

[Via Macworld]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, ASUS, GSM, GPRS

After adding a slider and flip to its stable of autofocus camera phones, ASUS is turning its attention to the candybar form factor, showing the V80 last week. Other than the autofocus 2-megapixel shooter with macro, there’s not much to write home about — though the FM recorder is kinda nifty. Other features include a QR code reader, Bluetooth 1.2, 220 x 176 display, and EDGEless Class 10 GPRS. ASUS is making a big deal about the V80′s 16mm thickness, but we’re not entirely sure why, considering that Samsung’s 9.9mm D830 alleges autofocus capability just the same. No word on availability or pricing, but thanks to quadband GSM, we might just keep an eye out for this sucker stateside.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, Nokia, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, UMTS

Even if you're a die-hard Palm or Windows Mobile fan, it's hard to deny the appeal of Nokia's N-series lineup of S60-powered "multimedia computers," whose connectivity and imaging options are some of the best you can find on a smartphone today. As promised, the company has just officially released both the N73 (pictured, bottom) and N93 (pictured, top) handsets that we've been following for some time, and although you probably won't be able to pick them up through traditional channels, we know that they'll definitely be available at your local Nokia retail outlet. As a quick refresher, both of the phones (we know, we know, we're not supposed to call them phones) are highlighted by 3.2 megapixel, Zeiss lens-equipped cameras, with the N93 throwing in a 3x optical zoom and support for 30fps VGA video. Both models also feature high-res 2.4-inch displays, Bluetooth radios, a miniSD slot for image capture or rocking tunes, and quad-band GSM plus 3G UMTS capability. On top of all these attractive features, the N93 also gives you built-in WiFi with UPnP functionality, video out for replaying your precious memories on a big screen, and what sounds like better-than-average in-camera editing. We're still gonna stick with our current smartphones for now, but these models are so hot that we're seriously reconsidering our snobby insistence on rocking those handy QWERTY thumboards at all times.

Read- N73
Read- N93
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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, Others, GSM

As you may recall, we touched on the m300 GSM watch a couple weeks ago with a healthy dose of skepticism, but it now appears the device is more than just vaporware. SMS Technology, the m300's manufacturer, did us the favor of sending along a handful of in-the-flesh pictures along with a detailed account of its development. Apparently, the m300 owes its existence to another Australian product -- MTrak -- a kevlar-strapped GPS bracelet designed for tracking children. MTrak evolved into a CDMA watch phone, and then on to its current GSM incarnation. Packing the GPS proved too bulky for a mainstream watch, though, so the December '06 delivery date is giving SMS some additional time to engineer that part of hardware out of the platform. The result is said to be roughly the size of a TAG Heuer, supports speech-to-text for messaging, and rocks both Bluetooth and a speakerphone -- not shabby specs for a phone the size of a few coins. The company claims to have some 1.2 million Australian orders alone on tap, so hats off to these guys for giving it the old college try, eh? More wrist-talkin' eye candy after the break.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops, Tablet PCs, Wireless

Sony is never a company to back down from raising a few eyebrows or ruffling a few feathers in the standards game, and so shall it be with the not-quite-UMPC UX180P. There's little question that the UX whips up on the current crop of UMPCs in the marketplace, sporting a more powerful processor, higher-res screen, integrated keyboard and EDGE -- but at $1800, it needs to. And right there lies the million-dollar question: at almost double the cost of a UMPC, does the UX serve its function? And what exactly is its function, for that matter? Read on for our take on the answers, along with some in-depth imagery.

For our purposes, we set out that we would consider the UX a success if, among other things, we felt comfortable taking it anywhere (within reason, of course). If we didn't, we'd be hard-pressed to justify the difference in convenience between the UX and a much more powerfully-spec'd 12.1-inch subnotebook for the same coin.


At the end of the day, we concluded that the portability of the UX rivaled that of the OQO; we could tote it pretty much anywhere we could possibly want to do some computin', though to do that, this reviewer had to attach the included ballistic nylon carrying case to the shoulder strap of his Timbuk2. We know that Sony has been throwing around the "pocketable" term with the UX, but have no illusions, folks -- no pocket we're aware of will comfortably swallow this thing. Think of it more as a "very small computer" than as a "very large PDA." After all, that's what it is.


Breathe easy, friends: Microsoft has triumphantly declared the UX180P "Vista Capable." With a Core Solo U1200 and 512MB of RAM, it may not be pretty -- but yeah, it'll do it.


We're not going to waste any keystrokes here beating up on the UX's keyboard, as there are plenty of reviews already posted elsewhere that have done that for us. Think of it this way: it's there to get you by when nothing less than pure, QWERTY goodness will do. You won't write your thesis on it, you won't rock World of Warcraft on it (though we don't put it past some of our readers to try). We would characterize the tactile feedback to be about on par with a Cingular 8125, and it worked just fine when we needed a keyboard for a few minutes at a stretch. Those with smaller hands might have some trouble with the middle keys, however. The thumb stick on the right side of the computer's face was easy enough to use, though some might complain that it takes you away from the keyboard, whereas the OQO's does not. A nifty feature of the stick is that it can be configured to register downward pressure as a click, though we found it too sensitive to be useful.


One of the big draws of the Americanized UX is the inclusion of the EDGE modem. What gives, Sony? We can't think of any device in the world more suited to an internal HSDPA card. Of course, the modem's internals are of Sony Ericsson origin; apparently Sony couldn't swallow their pride and source HSDPA hardware from elsewhere since they don't have an 850 / 1900 card of their own in production yet. At any rate, we didn't test the service, but we imagine you can expect speeds on par with Sony Ericsson's GC83.

So, when all's said and done, what did we think of the little beast? It's a great piece of hardware with immaculate design, soured by mediocre software -- typical Sony. The stock Windows XP Professional install is an embarrassment, loaded with enough adware and trialware to bring the already underpowered hardware to its knees -- in fact, it hung the very first time we tried to shut it down. Of course, our immediate reaction was to replace it with a clean Tablet PC Edition image, but several drivers on the recovery DVDs we burned were non-functional upon installation, rendering the device crippled. We got closer by downloading drivers directly from Sony's site, but we found that it was hanging on each and every shutdown and standby. It's odd to us that a company with such vast resources and a keen eye for industrial design can fall so far short on the software side.

Despite its flaws, the UX is likely still the best thing going for ultimately portable computing, leaving the UMPC crowd and the venerable OQO in its dust. For those looking to take the plunge, we recommend keeping a pulse on the user community to work through these driver issues and make it a worthwhile second or third computer -- and, of course, there's the ever-present prospect of dropping Linux on 'er. Without further ado, on to the eye candy.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Wireless carriers in this country are no strangers to all manner of legal action, so it comes as little surprise to us to hear that we have a couple fresh lawsuits brewing of the class-action variety. In Cingular’s case, it seems a group of former AT&T Wireless customers are worked up over the degredation of AT&T’s legacy network following the merger, forcing many of them to either deal with the inferior reception, buy so-called “orange” phones and get on Cingular’s network proper — often incurring a transfer fee in addition to the cost of the phone, or leave Cingular entirely and pay the early-termination fee of $175. Verizon meanwhile is taking heat for covertly slapping some of its customers with their roadside assistance option starting in January 2004 at $2 / month, then later refusing refunds when folks got wise to the charge. We dream of one day achieving world peace between human- and carrier-kind — but in the meantime, good luck sticking it to the Man, folks.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

With S60 3rd Edition, UMTS, a 3.2 megapixel camera with optical zoom, WiFi, miniSD slot, and QVGA display, Nokia's N93 dual-pivot clamshell pretty much does it all -- at the cost of some considerable bulk, that is. Mobile-review had a chance to spend some quality time with the beast, and if you can get past the portly 188 grams of mass in your pocket, they appear to come away liking the device for all that it does. As flimsy as it may look, we're told the stalk connecting the display to the remainder of the phone is rock-solid: "Even if you shake the phone with all your strength, there is no way the halves will move towards each other." Triband GSM plus UMTS 2100 make the N93 a tough sell in the States, but everyone else seeking out a worthy N90 replacement can expect Nokia's latest superphone to drop this month for around €600 ($765).

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

The guys over at PhoneScoop have sure made the site live up to its name today: not only did they get some serious hands-on time with Motorola’s upcoming RAZR slider — codenamed Capri — they also got to preview the next version of Moto’s much-maligned Synergy UI that will show up in such models as the Canary and the SCPL. At least on paper, the Capri seems to offer a very compelling feature set that will probably attract anyone into the RAZR lifestyle- you’re getting a model only slightly thicker and heavier than its clamshell counterpart, but which sports a 2.0 megapixel camera, A2DP-capable Bluetooth, and what sounds like a greatly improved user interface. Especially noteworthy in the overhauled Synergy is an address book that seems to work much more intuitively than past iterations (remember the one on the StarTAC?), allowing you to organize entries by name and search for contacts using multiple letters. Although Phone Scoop was only testing a pre-production model, they have identified some potential problems to watch out for on the final version, such as the unusually crappy quality of what should be a decent camera, and most importantly, a spring-assisted slider that’s difficult to activate due to the raised antenna bulge so familiar to RAZR owners. Click on if you want to peep a few more snaps, but you’re really doing yourself a disservice if you don’t head over to PhoneScoop for the full gallery and a very thorough write-up…

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Nokia, GSM, Misc

Prior to the BlackBerry / NTP proceedings, we wouldn’t have taken these sensational lawsuits very seriously, but it looks like Qualcomm has every intention of getting Nokia to take notice in their ongoing patent dispute. We recently reported that Qualcomm had asked for a halt to sales of Nokia’s GSM models in Great Britain; now they’re doing the same in the US, filing a lawsuit with the US International Trade Commission to that effect. The suit covers six CDMA patents in total that affect GSM, GPRS, and EDGE; we’re guessing that number includes the two patents named in the UK lawsuit, which Nokia claims are covered under a licensing agreement currently in effect between the companies. Meanwhile, a veritable who’s-who of the wireless world — Nokia, Ericsson, TI and others — are ganging up on Qualcomm in Europe, alleging unfair licensing practices on its WCDMA property. Normally we’d expect a quagmire like this to be tied up in the world’s legal systems for years, but the pressure might be on to resolve this one with all haste as Nokia’s licensing agreement with Qualcomm expires early next year anyway.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, NTT DoCoMo, GSM, GPRS, UMTS

Having already conquered the US and much of Europe, Canada's most famous contribution to consumer electronics is poised to take over yet another Asian market, when the ubiquitous BlackBerry hits phone-mad Japan this fall. Coming hot on the heels of KT Powertel's introduction of the 7100i in South Korea, wireless giant NTT DoCoMo has announced that it is partnering with BlackBerry-maker RIM to offer customers GSM / WCMDA "worldphone" versions of the addictive handhelds -- which is yet another step towards the carrier's commitment of having an all-GSM-enabled lineup within the next two years. Besides the traditional push email functionality that we've come to know and love, nothing much is known about the specifics of these upcoming foreign models, like how the pocket-sized BlackBerries will manage to pack in the thousands of keys necessary to represent all those Japanese glyphs.

[Thanks, Gina]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

If the true measure of a company was the thickness of its products, Samsung would have a lock on the title. Besides the “world’s thinnest phone” – the SGH-X820 that you can virtually hide by turning it on its side — our South Korean friends are rocking the “world’s thinnest slider” as well in the SGH-D900. Apparently, the FCC is cool with that, as they’ve just given the thumbs-up for the D900 stateside. The phone manages to pack in some reasonable specs despite its size, bringing a QVGA display, 3.13 megapixel camera, A2DP, 80MB flash, and MicroSD expansion to the table. Most importantly for our US readers, this is a quad-band EDGE phone, meaning there might be some actual weight to the FCC grant for a change of pace.

[Via Unwired View]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, Portable Audio

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, NTT DoCoMo, GSM

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

top-to-bottom: v3 RAZR, T809, G500

left-to-right: G500, T809, v3 RAZR

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, T-Mobile, GSM

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, Windows Mobile, HP, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, GSM

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, T-Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Cingular, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments