Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal cell phone chargers starting next year.
Side by side view of a micro-USB connector and a regular USB connector.
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connections for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.
In February the GSMA, a trade association for mobile carriers using GSM technology, said it had brokered a deal with handset makers to get the micro-USB technology into cell phone chargers by 2012. And the CTIA, the U.S. wireless trade association, backed the standard in April of this year.
The initiative has many advantages. For one it makes it much easier for consumers who no longer have to worry about losing their one and only cell phone charger. It also cuts down on waste since people can reuse their cell phone chargers when they get a new phone. Even though some cell phone manufacturers were reluctant to give up their proprietary cell phone chargers for fear that it would make it easier for customers to switch to new phones from competitors, eventually standardizing on one technology will help these manufacturers reduce costs.
... Read moreBonnie and Kent are back from a busy week at the GSMA World Congress in Barcelona. Android news was limited to the HTC Magic, but new multimedia phones debuted from Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia. On this week's Dialed In we recap all the events of the show and discuss the latest developments elsewhere in the cell phone world. And of course, we'll dish on the latest reviews and take your questions.
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One of the cool (and painful) things about GSMA Mobile World Congress is that you get to see some of the best mobile devices available around the world. I say painful because often these products aren't available in the United States and probably never will be, unless you find them online and buy them unlocked for a hefty price.
If you're a glutton for punishment or just plain curious, then take a look at these international Windows Mobile smartphones that I saw while touring the Microsoft booth.
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At the ginormous 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, this week, dozens of new devices and wireless services made their debut, many of which are already garnering a ton of buzz.
Though many of the hot new handsets won't be available for a while, it's never too early to make a wish list. And while you're waiting around for the phone of your dreams to appear, let us know which of the most-discussed stories from the Mobile World Congress got your bell ringing. If we've neglected to give one of your top picks as an option, be sure to chime with a comment below.
The X1 becomes a cover story.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)Since I can read United Airline's in-flight magazine only so many times on a 10-hour flight between San Francisco and Frankfurt, Germany, I took a few minutes to leaf through the ubiquitous Skymall catalog as well.
Normally, for every one thing I would consider buying in Skymall, I find 20 completely useless things (seriously...who really wants to make a bulletin board out of wine corks?). But this issue of the catalog had the fancy Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 on its cover.
As you may recall, the touch-screen smartphone debuted at the 2008 GSMA World Congress. And even as the Idou grabbed most of the headlines in Barcelona this year, the X1 continued to be a top draw at Sony Ericsson's booth.
As my colleague Bonnie Cha said in her Xperia X1 review, the handset offers a full range of features and a unique panel-based interface. Yet because no U.S. carrier offers the X1, it's not readily available stateside. An appearance in Skymall might just help make the ordering process easier, but the first-class price of $799 for the unlocked model remains. No, we don't think it's worth it either.
As we wrap up our coverage of the GSMA World Congress and prepare to head home to San Francisco and New York City, we invite you to take a look at sights from the show floor in Barcelona. Indeed, GSMA is a massive, frenetic show that spreads over eight buildings and several outdoor pavilions. At first, it can be overwhelming and difficult to find your way about, but you learn quickly which areas of the show are worth visiting. Our GSMA show floor photo gallery gives you a guided tour, from the show grounds to the company's booths to the cell phones on display.
(Credit:
LG Electronics)
This week, at the GSMA Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, LG Electronics announced the launch of its new Netbook, following on the heels of the LG-X110 Netbook released last year.
Offering an integrated 3G HSPA connection and a 160GB hard drive, the LG-X120 appears to be a worthy contender in the Netbook market.
LG includes what the company refers to as a "Smart-On" interface, which basically allows the user to access the most frequently used programs just a few seconds after hitting the power button, without waiting for the operating system to completely load on the desktop.
The LG-X120 also incorporates the company's "Smart-Link" technology--which can connect to other computers to share files or install new applications via a USB cable--and an advanced security function allowing users to safely share files while connected to other devices.
The Netbook comes in white, with either a lime or pink outer detail. The cover has a matte surface, so it doesn't attract fingerprints, smudges, or scratches. It's available with either a three- or six-cell battery, and it measures 1.3 inches tall by 10.4 inches wide by 7 inches deep.
The rest of its specs include:
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
- 1.3-megapixel Webcam
- 1GB DDR2 RAM
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- 3 USB ports
- 10.1-inch WSVGA screen at a 1,024x576 resolution
- SRS WOW HD and TruSurround XT for sound
The LG-X120 Netbook will purportedly see a March release in Europe, but no announcements were made about a U.S. release, or how much it would cost.
The GMSA Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona could have been a great place for Google to demonstrate progress establishing Android in the industry, but instead the open-source operating system showed only a slightly larger toehold.
Google has high hopes for Android, which the company launched in an effort to spur smartphone development, mobile use of the Web, and new search advertising. Although Android certainly isn't vaporware, and Google's clout makes the effort a serious challenge to other operating systems, so far Android's potential exceeds its real-world presence.
HTC's Magic is the second Android-powered phone to hit the market.
(Credit: HTC)The biggest Android news from the show was the debut of the HTC Magic. This new Android model is the second Android model from the Taiwanese company; the first, HTC's Dream, is better known as the T-Mobile G1.
... Read moreAt the GSMA World Congress here in Barcelona, there's a lot more to see than just the brand new cell phones. We also relish the chance to check out models that are rather rare in the United States.
Take the Nokia 5630 Xpress Music, for example. As one of Nokia's newest Xpress Music phones, it hasn't made much of a stateside appearance. So when we spied it sitting next to the new Nokia E75, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to give it a test drive and capture it on video.
Its thin candy bar design largely resembles the Nokia 5310 Xpress Music. The 16.7-million-color display is easy on the eyes, though it could be a bit larger. The navigation array also doesn't take full advantage of the phone's real estate--there's an awful lot of blank space around it--but the keypad is pretty standard. Dedicated music controls sit on the left spine while the camera lens and flash are on the rear face.
The 5630 has external music controls.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)Besides the Xpress Music player, the feature set covers a good range. You'll find a stereo Bluetooth, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video, voice command, personal organizer options, text and multimedia messaging, a speakerphone, and an external memory card slot. The quad-band 5630 also supports HSDPA 3G networks.
Showing that its Web application priorities extend to the mobile world, Google on Wednesday demonstrated a version of Gmail for the iPhone that could be used even when the phone had no network connection.
Vic Gundotra, Google's vice president of engineering, showed off at the 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona what he called a "technical concept" of Gmail even when the iPhone was offline. In January, Google released an offline version of Gmail for desktops and laptops, and like it, the mobile phone incarnation runs in a Web browser, not as a native application.
The software let Gundotra browse and read e-mail even after he switched the phone into airplane mode, which shuts off the wireless network. To watch a demonstration, check the demo video on iPhone Buzz.
Offline applications can't of course retrieve new data from the network, but they do synchronize when network access is restored. Meanwhile, e-mail is stored in a local database on the phone, even when online.
"You'll note that it's very, very fast because it's using that local database," Gundotra said. The application also showed a floating toolbar that was visible even as he scrolled through his in-box.
... Read more
