phones

Dogs and cell phones may seem like an unlikely combination, but canine lovers with a flair for mobile accessorizing have a way to combine both passions. Perhaps a cell phone purse with pictures of a dog is just the way to go. Cat fans will hate them, of course, but I have to admit that even a dog devotee such as myself is a little torn. I wasn't expecting the pinnacle of cell phone fashion, but I was hoping for something a little more understated.

Current has a selection of four designs for $8.99 each. Available breeds include … Read more

If you read any of the Mac news sites, you probably already know the official release date for the iPhone is June 29. With the release only three weeks away, Apple has been ramping up the hype with three new commercials showing more of the iPhone's features.

I have to admit, for my part, the hype is doing its job. The latest group of ads show off the versatility of the iPhone using a number of its features together. My favorite is the one entitled "Watered Down." In this ad, you get a brief look into what it's like to surf the Internet using Safari on the iPhone. The point of the ad is to show how the iPhone doesn't give you a watered-down version of the Internet like other devices; you get to browse actual Web pages, zooming in on the stories you want to read. Like all the iPhone ads, at the end we're delivered back to reality with an incoming call--lest we forget, it's still a phone.… Read more

It's not often that a mobile phone gets a unique makeover these days, especially at a time when ordinary handsets with loud paint jobs are routinely passed off as exclusive designer creations. But the new "Signature Edition" of Nokia's N76 is truly a work of art, thanks to Finnish sculptor Bjorn Weckstrom.

This customized black-and-chrome version of the smart phone features a miniature handmade sculpture from Lapponia Jewelry designed by Weckstrom. Electronista says that even the on-screen interface of the handset is "directly inspired by the artist's efforts."

The phone, whose specs are … Read more

ARLINGTON, Va.--A T-Mobile executive on Thursday said there's no need for Congress to pass new laws prescribing requirements governing how mobile phone carriers handle their subscribers' personal information.

Criminal penalties for scammers--such as those contained in a bill signed by President Bush earlier this year--are great, but further regulations are unnecessary and unwise, said Kathleen Ham, T-Mobile's director of federal regulatory affairs.

"I think we have every incentive to want to protect the privacy of our customers," she said during a panel discussion at the annual Pike & Fischer Broadband Summit here.

In the … Read more

Parents of teens already dread getting their monthly cell phone bill, and it could get even worse. The reason comes from an unlikely source: soda pop.

In the coming weeks, Coca-Cola will bring "Sprite Yard" to the U.S. market, a social-networking site that targets cell-phone-toting teens (is that redundant?), with such features as personal profiles, photo sharing and online chat, according to the New York Times.

Jonathan Sackett, the head digital officer at Arnold Worldwide, makes this observation in the report: "Coke could see trouble if teenagers run up high data charges on their phones using … Read more

Move over, Porsche--you can stay at the museum in your pretty aluminum-milled handset. The road, meanwhile, will belong to the Hummer phone.

The "HT1" returns to Hummer's military roots, at least superficially, with a camo-designed casing to protect a 2.2-inch touch screen, 2-megapixel camera, FM radio and 2MB of built-in memory. Newlaunches says it's the creation of French design firm ModeLabs, which is known for its unique concepts especially where phones are concerned.

The camouflage look, of course, is the closest this $400 handset will ever get to the battlefield. But we think the company … Read more

Porsche may be synonymous with speed, but it's been a tad late in the mobile phone race until now. Still, better late than never--at least its marketing department has progressed beyond the kitchen, where it's been taking on Lamborghini and other rivals to produce appliances like coffee makers.

The first Porsche Design Mobile Phone was christened earlier this week in Germany as the "P'9521" (not a typo), though no details were available at the time it was unveiled at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen. Today, however, the museum's blog gives up at … Read more

When you think of sleek and sexy cell phones or smart phones, chances are you probably don't think of Nokia. However, the Nokia N76 certainly changes that perception with its sleek profile and red-hot color. Yet, despite its cool looks, this Symbian "multimedia computer" isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Check out the photos and review here.

Sony's PSP has long been a favorite topic among rumor mongers, the latest nugget coming from the BBC about a British Telecom version that would function as a phone among other new features. Nothing has been confirmed, but reports are circulating about some patent filings by Sony for just such a device.

According to the schematic diagrams in its proposal, at least one version of a PSP phone would have a rotating screen not unlike other handsets now on the market. Depending on how the display is positioned, MobileWhack says the device can be used as a PSP, phone … Read more