Posted by Matt Hickey | Discussion:
Why is this man smiling? Because Verizon today announced it will be selling a service from Plaxo that allows its wireless customers to automagically sync up their contacts between their computers and mobile devices, over the air.
The Java BREW application is compatible with most current Verizon handsets and costs $4.49 a month. While we’d rather see this as a one-time fee-for-service charge, Verizon and Plaxo seem to think that its customers update their phonebooks a lot, when really, short of getting a new handset, users don’t. But if you’re a new customer or getting an upgraded phone, using the service for one month might not be a bad idea, though it can usually do it at any of its retail stores for a small fee. It still can’t stop you from drunk dialing you-know-who.
Verizon to Offer Mobile Phone Contact Updates [Reuters]
Posted by Matt Hickey | Discussion:
We got word of these presentation photos of what appears to be Motorola’s new RAZR PDA. That’s right, a smartphone in the RAZR form factor, because the world needs another RAZR like it needs touchscreen voting machines. Details are sketchy at best, as all we have are blurry, gadget rumortastic camphone photos, but they’re good enough that we can clearly see moderately thicker RAZR with a slightly enlarged outer display.
We know that Moto has a Linux-based ROKR ready to go that’s already cleared the FCC labyrinth of regulation, so it’s likely that the RAZR in this shot will sport some Linuxy goodness.
Also on the page, which is from an isreali gadget blog we can’t read, are photos of a “glowing PEBL”, and uglyized version of the popular T-Mobile PEBL. We’re not exactly sure what “glowing” refers to, but this PEBL does have what appears to be dual outer displays, and it looks like one’s color and one’s monochrome, which is confusing as hell. We’re going to comb through the FCC database now and see if we can find anything on these guys, but for now we’re calling it a Halloween mystery.
Motorola Spy Pics [Gadgetim]
Posted by Josh | Discussion:
See this two-tone red-and-white clamshell? It’s Virgin Mobile USA’s latest handset, the Cyclops made by Kyocera Wireless. It’s not new new, but it was officially announced today, so talking about it doesn’t make us feel as dirty. The big deal is it’s the first phone from the carrier to benefit from a licensing deal with Warner Music Group to use with VM’s TXT Tones service. It’s also the first handset to have Virgin Mobile Audio Messaging, or VAM, which is IM but with voice instead of words.
The music-based TXT Tones is basically a ringtone for text messages. So if you thought hearing someone’s ringer over and over again when they received a phone call was irritating, wait till you’re next to someone carrying on a text conversation. Each TXT Tone will run you $1.50 and if you want to take advantage of the WMG deal you better get to downloading ASAP; The catalog is only available from November 2 through November 14, 2006.
The VAM service is a bit like push-to-talk as it lets you set up a buddy list, record a message for someone on the list and hit send. If they’re available, they hear the message, if they’re not it sits until they are back. So it’s like a phone call and voice mail wrapped into one. The best part is, your conversations can be saved, so you can totally screw people over by getting them to say something and then playing it back for others.
The Cyclops will be available on Virgin Mobile’s site November 2 as well as in Best Buy stores for $99. It’s currently available from Best Buy’s Web site, though.
Virgin Mobile Cyclops at Best Buy [product page]
Motorola announced today the availability of its Portable Bluetooth Car Kit T305. The T305 clips to the visor and allows drivers to communicate without removing their hands from the wheel. It features enhanced echo and noise reduction to provide superior clarity through the mic. And the 1-watt speaker is said to be amply sufficient.
The T305 utilizes a multifunction button that allows users to activate speech commands and has a talk time of 14 hours. The Bluetooth Car Kit is available now for $79.99 from RadioShack, Best Buy and Sprint.
Product Page
Posted by Josh | Discussion:
The fellows with the fancy-pants over at Sybarites got their hands on a Vertu Constellation for review. If you’re just joining us, the Vertu is a luxury line of phones made by the same people who make you Nokia’s phones…Nokia. So how does this phone stack up?
Well, the Nokia S40 UI is similar to other Nokia Symbian OS phones, but is “far superior graphics wise.” The phone has a concierge button that calls Vertu’s Concierge service, kinda like OnStar for your phone. It’s also got Bluetooth, GPRS, and EDGE, which makes it fairly recent in terms of features, instead of just an old phone packaged in a pretty shell.
As a bonus, it also has WorldMate software to “keep track of flights, different time-zones and currency rates”, useful for any jet-setter that can afford a Vertu.
Vertu Constellation Exclusive Review [Sybarites]
Posted by Josh | Discussion:
WidSets is a mobile widget platform available for Java MIDP 2.0 phones and is completely manufacturer and browser independent. Like widgets on a computer, WidSets provide immediate access to information for everything from RSS feeds to blog posts to photo-uploading sites. Nokia has filled the library with a rather large variety of options to add to your phone. Templates are available for creating your own, too. Just head over to the site, register, download the install client, and load up–they’re free.
WidSets [Via O'Reilly Radar]
