Acer Aspire One 3G laptop $99 at Radio Shack

As of the 14th of December, Radio Shack will offer an ultra-lightweight mobile laptop that incorporates 3G wireless technology for the very low price of just $99.00 on signing up to AT&T for a period of two years

Unboxing Pictures: Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is an arc slider mobile phone delivering a premium, converged mobile experience addressing web communication and multimedia entertainment.

The XPERIA X1 runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, an open platform and applications designed for X1 will run on other Windows Mobile 6.1 devices with the same screen resolution and hardware features. The XPERIA X1 combines a 800×480 pixel WVGA touchscreen, a wide-pitch full QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, A-GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera and 400MB user free memory in a quality metal-finish body. The Java ME Platform is also supported with CLDC 1.1, MIDP 2.0 and other JSRs.

Exclusive to Sony Ericsson, the XPERIA panel user interface on the desktop gives access to different options using finger-tip navigation and is configurable by the end-user. The XPERIA X1 seamlessly integrates interaction between the touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 4-way key and optical joystick.

2 New XpressMusic Handsets launched by Nokia

Nokia has added two more devices to its music range of handsets: the 5220 and the 5320 XpressMusic. "Today's additions to the XpressMusic range up the ante with new ways for consumers to access their media, as well as interact and share content with friends and communities anytime, anywhere," said Jo Harlow, Vice President, LIVE category, Nokia.The 5320 features 3G social entertainment capabilities with Web 2.0 access. A new voice-controlled Say and Play feature lets you say the name of an artist or song to play it. Like other XpressMusic handsets, the 5320 also has dedicated music keys, and thankfully a 3.5mm audio jack. According to Nokia, the handset can deliver up to 24 hours of playback time.Other features include an audio chip for hi-fi sound quality, extendable memory up to 8GB, HS-USB for fast music transfer, and HSDPA for fast access to data. This loaded handset has a full-featured Internet browser, access to Ovi, and Nokia Search 4.1, which allows users to find and share media content and information. It also allows for N-Gage gaming in the convenient landscape mode.
The other handset (Nokia 5220 XpressMusic) seems to have a bit of a lopsided design. No, it's not your eyes playing tricks; the phone is actually designed that way. It has a built-in lanyard that makes it easy to carry around. Other features include dedicated XpressMusic keys, a 3.5mm audio jack, and support for external memory via microSD cards.



These handsets are equipped with 2 megapixel cameras and FM radios. Both are compatible with the recently launched Nokia Music Store, where consumers can choose from more than 2 million tracks and browse, download, stream and sync, either to a PC or side-load directly to a mobile device.Nokia 5320 and 5220 XpressMusic are expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with estimated retail prices of Rs 13,980 (€220) and Rs 10,166 (€160) respectively, before taxes and subsidies

Mobile Phone with Pull-Out E-Paper Display

Europe

UK : Polymer Vision, the inventor of rollable displays and a spin out
from Philips, introduced the Readius product for commercial launch by
mid 2008. The exclusive device exploits the versatility of rollable
displays to merge the ‘reading friendly’ strengths of e-readers with
the ‘high mobility’ features of mobile phones. Together with the
Readius® internet portal, designed for personalisation and content
selection, the company offers a whole new mobile phone category.

“People
are demanding greater choice and flexibility in having overall instant
access to personal content and information” said Karl McGoldrick, CEO
of Polymer Vision. “They do not want to be concerned with small
screens, not being able to read in sunlight, a dead battery or a device
being too bulky to carry in their pocket. Readius® solves these worries
and is generations ahead of anything else out there today”.



Readius is the ideal travel companion

Designed around ease of use and mobility, Readius® can last for 30
hours of continuous reading without battery charge. The 3G HSDPA
tri-band phone allows worldwide calls and high speed instant updates
from personally selected news sources, email and other services.

Standard POP3 and IMAP is supported for ISP e-mail and others such as
Yahoo!Mail, Google Gmail and Microsoft Exchange. The Micro SD High
Capacity storage ensures quick and easy access to e-books and valuable
information. Readius® also features audio capabilities, including MP3,
for podcasts, audio books and music.

Readius internet portal delivers choice and flexibility

The Readius internet portal allows users to quickly and simply
configure their Readius® User Interface as well as select content and
services to individual style and needs. With zero clicks, personal data
and information is then ‘pushed’ whenever and wherever it is needed.

The portal presents content providers with a commercially attractive
channel to offer their content and services to the high growth mobile
consumer market. Polymer Vision is in discussion with numerous such
providers to populate the portal and make a broad choice of content and
services available to Readius owners.

Commercial

Readius will be available for commercial launch mid 2008, creating an
exceptional opportunity for mobile operators, retail outlets and
content providers to win new customers, increase revenues and develop
non-intrusive mobile advertising options. Specific details on timing,
volumes and pricing can be discussed by appointment.

Readius,
its applications, and the content download platform, will be on show at
the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 11th – 14th February 2008, at
the Polymer Vision booth, Hall 2, Booth C05.

To
get to know Readius® better - with videos, images and downloads -
please visit the Polymer Vision website: www.polymervision.com



Summary of key specifications

Weight : One third the average weight of e-readers (115g)

Display size : Twice the surface area of largest phone display (5” diagonal, 16 greyscales)

Device size : Equal to an average mobile phone when closed (115 x 57 x 21mm)

Battery life : Up to six times longer than on mobile phones (30 hours continuous reading)



Connectivity : Greatest coverage of any e-reader (Tri Band/3G HSDPA)

Supporting ActiveSync and USB mass storage (USB 2.0)

Communication with accessories and other devices (Bluetooth 2.0)

Processor : Powerful processing engine (ARM11 400MHz)

Storage : Flexible, today commercially available up to 8GB (High Capacity Micro SD)

User Interface : Just 8 buttons (SimpleTouch Buttons)

Toshiba Lanuches New 3G HSDPA Smartphone with GPS

Europe : Toshiba unveiled the Portégé G910, an
advanced smart mobile device for the professional user. Built around
Windows Mobile 6 Professional, the G910 offers the full suite of
Microsoft Office solutions, including Powerpoint, Word, Excel and
Outlook push email. Moreover, the G910 features a biometric fingerprint
security solution for instant, secure access to the phone, has built in
GPS for real-time navigation and has a high resolution 3” Wide-VGA
touch screen that is perfect for displaying web pages. It will be
available across Europe in the first quarter of 2008.

Portégé G910 – specification

• Form Factor: Horizontal Clamshell

• Size: 145cc, 117mm x 64mm x 19.8mm

• Weight: 183g

• Camera: 2 mega pixel VGA camera

• Memory: ROM 256MB, RAM 128MB

• Interface: Bluetooth™ 2.0, USB, WiFi

• Band: 2100 HSDPA, 900/1800/1900 GSM/EDGE, GPRS class 10

• Navigation: Built-in GPS

• Battery: 1320mAh

• Standby: Up to 460hrs*

• Talktime: Up to 300mins*

• Display: Wide-VGA (480x800), 65k colours, TFT 3.0”

• Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail, Wireless push e-mail, Windows Live Messenger

• Media Player: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA

• Music Service: Windows Media Player

• Security: Fingerprint authentication

• VoIP: Over WiFi

• Java: MIDP2.0, JSR179



The Portégé G910 acts like a ‘mobile hub’ helping users stay connected
whether for business or pleasure. From managing emails, accessing the
corporate Intranet or working on Microsoft Office files to catching-up
with friends, listening to music or even playing films on the Windows
Media Player. The G910 is the perfect companion to help achieve that
ideal work life balance.



The G910’s sleek, sophisticated clamshell design and full QWERTY
keyboard gives it the look and feel of a mini laptop. Furthermore, the
Portegé G910 provides the ultimate in security with a biometric
fingerprint reader allowing only the user to unlock and access all the
content on their device – ideal for ensuring this doesn’t end up in the
wrong hands.

The
built-in GPS function has added benefits to the user by mapping out
location and directions from A to B in seconds, perfect for the busy
business traveller trying to find their way in a city or new
town/country. By supporting Qualcomm’s gpsOneXTRA Assistance™
technology, the G910 provides a faster ‘first fix’ with greater GPS
sensitivity indoors and in challenging dense urban environments.



The G910’s unique 3” wide-VGA touch screen display also ensures the
user sees more information with less scrolling and provides them with a
resolution that is five times better than a standard QVGA display.
Working on Microsoft Office documents can become a reality at last,
plus the Opera browser on board help bring the perfect web 2.0
experience.



The G910 also provides all of the key functions you’d expect including
a 2 mega-pixel camera perfect for ‘capturing the moment’ and a second
camera for video telephony, high connectivity from WiFi to HSDPA as
well as support for the micro SD card.



Says Takashi Okamoto, Deputy Managing Director, Toshiba Information
Systems (UK) Ltd: “Built on our 20 year heritage in mobile computing
and excellent partnership with Microsoft, the Portégé G910 is an
essential device for the modern business user. It is one of the most
powerful smart mobile devices in the current market, but uniquely has
all the features and applications needed for the user to be highly
connected in both their professional and private lives. As we move
towards increasing mobile working, companies and professionals are
looking for devices that will service them with a highly efficient and
secure communications tool and the Portégé G910 is the solution that
will fill that need in the market, whilst also helping them achieve
that ideal work life balance.”



Toshiba will also launch a G920 version of the device which supports
A-GPS for those network operators offering this service.

3G HSDPA USB Modem Also A Mobile Phone and MP3 Player

Europe
: Toshiba announced the G450, a unique four-in-one innovative mobile
device designed to quickly and easily enable anyone to connect a laptop
to the internet using a HSDPA mobile network. As well as providing
instant high speed mobile broadband access, the G450 is a mobile phone
for voice calls and texting, a USB data storage device and an MP3
player. It will be available across Europe in the first quarter of 2008.

The
perfect solution for anyone looking for a mobile handset that
integrates and works seamlessly with their laptop, the G450 simply
plugs into any USB socket to provide broadband PC access to the web,
emails or office network over 3G/HSDPA mobile networks, or EDGE or GPRS
connections. No settings are required you can just ‘plug and play’.
You can also make and receive calls whilst using the G450 to connect to
the internet too; the G450 will allow you to simultaneously make a call
and be connected to the Internet when on a 3G/HSDPA network.

Toshiba G450 – specification overview

• Form Factor: Bar (USB modem type)
• Size: 36mm x 98mm x 16mm
• Weight: 57g
• System: UMTS/HSDPA(3.6Mbps)/GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM6280
• Memory: 160MB (user available memory)
• Interface: mini USB
• Band: 2100 for UMTS, 900/1800/1900 for GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Battery: 600mAh
• Standby: Up to 200hrs*
• Talktime: Up to 140 mins*
• Display: OLED 96x39 pixels
• Messaging: SMS with T9 text editor
• Media Player: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+
• Utilities: Alarm
• Colours: Black, Red, White
• Accessories: mini USB cable, Stereo Headset (with microphone and switch), charger, user guide, CD-ROM

The G450 also provides all f the key functions you’d expect of a mobile
phone, including voice calling, SMS texting and an alarm clock, making
it a perfect simple to use phone. Weighing only 57 grams, the G450 is
light enough to carry with you all the time and charges direct from a
laptop USB socket too, allowing you to top up power wherever you’re
working.

The G450 can also be used as a USB memory storage device, with room for up
to 160 MB of data; enough space for work files, pictures or even songs
when using its in-built MP3 music player. Music will be automatically
paused whilst you take a call and resume when you hang-up.

Available in white, red or black colour schemes, the G450 packages all of its
capabilities within a unique and extremely compact (just 98mm long)
lozenge-like design comprising of three interlinked spheres.

Says Takashi Okamoto, Deputy Managing Director, Toshiba Information Systems
(UK) Ltd: “With increasingly mobile lives and flexible working
practices, there’s a real and growing need for new solutions to connect
people and enable them to work more effectively when they are away from
the office. The G450 is an exciting product because it opens up new
avenues for mobile access, keeping users in touch by email and the web
via their notebook PC wherever they’re located as well as providing
them with an easy-to-use voice device. The G450 is a great
illustration of Toshiba Mobile Communications’ aim, which is to bring
to market innovative new mobile devices that meet the changing
requirements of our modern, mobile lives.”

Two New Nokia Entry Level Mobile Phones

Europe: Nokia unveiled the Nokia 2600 classic and the Nokia 1209, two mobile
handsets that offer useful features, range of colors or exchangeable
covers for consumers in emerging markets. Nokia 2600 classic, which
will retail for approximately 65 euros before applicable taxes or
subsidies, has begun shipping, ramping up in all key markets during the
first quarter of 2008. Nokia 1209 will become available globally during
the second quarter of 2008 and will retail for approximately 35 euros
before applicable taxes or subsidies.

The highlight of today's announcement is the Nokia 2600 classic which

allows consumers to customize their phone with colourful, fully
changeable Xpress-on covers and MP3 ring tones. The cheerful Nokia
2600 classic also features a number of entertainment features,
including an FM radio and a VGA camera.

"While cost sensitivity is an important element in creating mobile devices for

emerging markets, the overwhelming feedback we receive from consumers
in these markets is that they want their mobile device to complement
their personality and offer a range of colours and entertainment
features," says Alex Lambeek, Vice President, Entry Devices, Nokia.
"The Nokia 2600 classic offers a colorful sense of flair and a robust
set of features at an exceptionally accessible price. As with all Nokia
devices, it is backed by a brand that stands for quality and
durability."

Survey results: phone sharing in emerging markets on the rise

According to a recent Nokia survey of consumers in emerging markets, a new trend
appears to be emerging: phone sharing. More than 50% of respondents in
India, Pakistan and nearly 30% in Vietnam indicate that they share, or
would share, their mobile phone with family or friends - a figure which
contrasts consumer behaviour in more mature markets.

"Phone sharing is a logical trend - more and more families are purchasing a
mobile phone for the entire family to use, not just the head of the
household. In addition, digital cameras are quickly becoming more
popular in these markets, and as such taking and sharing digital images
is becoming more common," adds Lambeek. "In response, Nokia has
developed a number of innovative features like the multiple phonebook
to support phone sharing, and we have added technologies like Bluetooth
to some models to make transferring images and ringtones easy and
affordable."

The second model introduced today, the Nokia 1209, offers additional cost

management features to make phone sharing easy and convenient.
Innovations include the pre-paid tracker, a cost-tracking application,
and the multiple phonebook - which allows up to five people to store
personal contact lists of up to two hundred numbers on a single phone.
Designed for first time buyers, the Nokia 1209 incorporates Nokia's
intuitive user interface, dust resistance, and offers up to 80
languages. The Nokia 1209 also has a one-piece key mat for durability
and reliability