Google’s forthcoming Android mobile OS has been romantically involved with more handset manufacturers than Kate Moss has with rock n roll musicians. Which is why we are greeting the rumor that Dell is set to partner with Google to launch an Android focused handset with a raised eyebrow and a non-committal shrug.
The device would essentially amount to a Gphone, something that could potentially alienate other manufacturers, which is a move that Google can ill afford given its software is as of yet unproven.
That isn’t to say it’s completely impossible; Dell has been pretty vocal about its step into the mobile space. Even so, despite apparently coming from “senior industry sources” this, as far as we are concerned, is more a juicy rumour than a potential iPhone killer. We should know for sure by next month when the handset is supposedly set for a grand unveiling. Who’s that in the back holding their breath…
(Via engadget mobile)
The Mozilla Foundation is continuing its fine work to bring the Firefox web browser to Windows Mobile (and Symbian too? Please? Pretty please?).
While we wait (and while SkyFire plots to steal its thunder) details are starting to emerge via the Mozilla project wiki that reveal a little more about what we can expect.
Firefox Mobile will come in two flavours - one for phones with a touch screen and one for those without. The touch screen UI will be optimised for finger-tapping rather than stylus while the non-touch screen version will use a ‘virtual mouse cursor’ operated by the D-pad.
From the wiki, it’s clear that Mozilla are putting a lot of thought into how to make Firefox as usable as possible on a portable device. Among the ideas being considered are a ‘magnifying glass’ zoom function, soft keyboard and an unobtrusive way of displaying tabbed pages.
The browser is set to launch later this year. We’ll keep you posted on further developments and wild rumours.
Now here’s something we haven’t seen before. Sony Ericsson has issued a patent for a mobile phone with a detachable screen. How wonderfully different indeed but really, what is the benefit of such a design?
To be honest, we can’t really think of any one thing that would make this sort of design a killer handset. Maybe the ability to have the screen as some sort of touchscreen MP3 player that can be detached from the rest of the phone might be quite nifty but not really the sort of thing that would make us want one more than say, a W760 or a Nokia N95.
Either we are lacking imagination or this thing really is as pointless as it looks. Our guess is that it is unlikely this thing will ever come to market. We’re humble here are Pocket Picks however, so if any of you brightsparks fancy proving us wrong with your ideas about what this could be used for then we are all ears.
(Via Unwired View)
There are no shortage of Instant Messaging clients for Windows Mobile and Symbian, and it takes quite a bit to impress us here at Pocket Picks.
Palringo is a new multi-platform IM app for Windows Mobile, Symbian S60 3rd Edition, Windows and Java that might just make the grade.
Palringo supports all the popular IM services (Google Talk, AIM, MSN, etc) as well as its own network. The most significant difference between Palringo and these other services is the addition of Vioce and Picture messaging. Using your phone (or PC) you can take photos or short audio clips and send them to your Palringo contacts. You can also send these through to some of the other supported networks, where they will appear as a web link to the hosted file on Palringo’s server.
If you are a heavy IM user perhaps the most useful feature is the ability to sign in to multiple instances of each service. I use one Google Talk account for work and another for chatting to friends and updating Twitter, etc, and this is a feature I have been waiting for for a long time.
There are still a few rough edges - new IM conversations can end existing ones, for example - but these are being worked on by the Palringo development team.
Palringo is a free download, available here.
While the Pocket Picks team is gearing up for next month’s Mobile World Congress, a similarly-titled show is happening this week in the US focusing on one particular niche of the mobile world. The niche that involves people putting things into each others’ niches… Yep, I’m talking pr0n, with the show in question being the Mobile Adult Content Congress.
What’s more, it seems Apple’s iPhone is set to be at the forefront of mobile erotica. Adult entertainment lawyer Gregory Piccionelli says that the iPhone is perfect for pornography due to its large screen and proper web browser. “It will be impossible to stop the adult business exploitation of mobile entertainment,” he says, predicting that soon, consumers will be offered free adult content as a carrot to get them to sign up to paid services like live video or ‘adult dates’.
Will the iPhone be a pornhunter’s paradise? There are already some sites for it from the likes of Playboy, Digital Playground and the Suicide Girls. Normally when writing about iPhone-specific mobile content, I’d speculate on how its touchscreen interface could be used in the future, but in this case… Maybe that’s best left.
(via Reuters)
As labor saving devices go, this goes beyond lazy. A new application called ShakeSMS for S60 devices allows those of you with accelerometer equipped handsets to save yourselves a couple of button presses every time you receive a message. All you need to do is shake your handset once to view your new message and then again to lock your handset. Sounds strangely appealing to us even if it is a little unnecessary. Just watch the video below to see it in action.
(Via IntoMobile)
Sorry, my geekometer just exploded. In a good way. The latest iPhone Web App to appear is a Star Trek tricorder simulator. You jab the touchscreen buttons, and different stuff comes up that relates to biological info, planetary surfaces, and foxy female aliens who need to be taught the meaning of love via a great big Shatner snog.
Go down the pub and pretend it’s a real tricorder. Your friends will think you’re the height of coolness. Really. Especially if you’re wearing a tight yellow shirt.
iPhone tricorder simulator link
Sony Ericsson has revealed the next stage in the evolution of its PlayNow arena mobile music download service. Deals with 10 major record labels have been struck which will add over five million new and mostly DRM-free tracks to the PlayNow arena catalog.
Besides the ten major labels, Sony Ericsson is also planning to snare some regional labels to further deepen its bucket of musical riches. Sounds to us like the service could seriously compete with those sorts of numbers. Hit the jump for a list of the ten record companies that are already onboard.
Continue reading ‘Sony Ericsson gives its PlayNow music service a shot in the arm’
It’s only a few weeks since the MacWorld Expo, but already the rumours are beginning to fly about Apple’s next big announcement. As is often the case, financial analysts are the source of much speculation. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has written a research note speculating that Apple will expand its iPod Touch range with cheaper models, although they’ll still have Wi-Fi, touchscreens, and email and web browsing.
However, he thinks Apple will launch new services alongside them, including a way to pay for food and drink at cafes via your iPod, and also launching a subscription-based music service, which would let you listen to unlimited music on the go for a flat monthly subscription. The question is, if this speculation is true, what would it mean for iPhone?
The positive spin: these services could work just as well on an iPhone. The negative spin: people might decide they only need a wireless iPod, rather than an actual iPhone. Especially if Apple launches some form of Voice over IP service for its iPods. The question of how much beefed-up iPods will cannibalise iPhone sales is sure to remain a hot issue in the coming months, at any rate.
(via Macworld)
You might own an iPhone, but that doesn’t stop you being an out-of-shape, lazy, good-for-nothing slob. No matter what Steve Jobs tells you. However, thankfully someone’s seen the iPhone’s potential to help keep you in shape. No, not because you can’t spend the £269 you paid for it on crisps.
MyNetDiary promises to help your new healthy regime, by letting you keep track of both your exercising AND your food intake. It’s a spin-off from the MyNetDiary website, with the idea that you’ll always have your iPhone with you, so don’t need to wait until you’re in front of a PC before typing your latest meal in.
The site’s been optimised for iPhone to make typing as quick as possible, while remembering your favourites to speed up the process. It’s got more than 500 activities and exercises in its database, and lets you chart your weight loss and BMI as you go. At least, that’s what it promises: I tried logging in today, and was told too many other people are currently testing it. Ah well.
MyNetDiary link
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