If you have shopped around for a new laptop recently you may have seen a few with a little auxiliary display on the front of the lid, This is Windows SideShow - a new feature of Microsoft Vista that displays selected info (new email notifications, weather, etc) even when the laptop is powered down.
SideShow devices have been a little thin on the ground so far - confined mainly to high-end laptops - but that could be about to change.
The SideShow team have released a new development kit that adds support for QVGA displays and Bluetooth connections. As these two features are common to almost every Windows Mobile phone on the market today, this has lead to speculation that the long-promised SideShow mobile phone support might be just around the corner.
JCB, the construction company, is getting tough with a real hard nut of a phone - the Toughphone.
The handset is supposedly shock, dust, water and drop resistant, capable of working in temperatures ranging from -20ºC to 60ºC. It also comes in a hardened rubber case for extra protection.
As well as its protection, the phone also has Bluetooth, Push-To-Talk and is Tri-band, and for those working on noisy building sites it has dual speakers.
People like Nokia have in the past released rubberised handsets, and Samsung’s Solid is coming out next month. Certainly those working in outdoors or on building sites can’t very well use a Nokia N81 or iPhone while on the job.
The JCB Toughphone is manufactured in the US by Sonim and comes with a three-year guarantee.
You can buy the Toughphone in Phones 4u stores, and if you’re in the building trade you can also pick it up at Speedy Hire and Plumb Centres alongside your quarter-inch nipples.
[Via Mobile Today]
UK researchers have come up with a simple but clever way of establishing a secure Bluetooth connection that doesn’t require the use of a PIN and only looks a little bit silly, reports New Scientist.
To create a secure, encrypted, connection two devices have to share some data - be it a PIN or a pass phrase. The need to share data means that the transaction could be vulnerable to a snooper - even something as simple as looking over your shoulder while you enter your PIN could give enough information to crack the connection.
The new technique makes use of the motion sensors built in to some handsets - only the Nokia N95 has been tested so far, but several new phones are equipped with them, including the Nokia 5500 and Apple’s iPhone.
Rather than sharing a code number or password, you just pick up both phones in the same hand and give the a good shake.
Both phones will sense the same pattern of movement and vibration, and they can use this shared data to establish the connection. Tests have shown that it is virtually impossible to shake along ‘in time’ with another phone unless both are held together.
It’s still at the proof-of-concept stage, and will only work on phones with motion sensors - although, as one Slashdot comment noted, it might be possible to do something similar by speaking into both devices at the same time to provide a shared voice print.
This YouTube video shows the technique in action.
Bluetrek has announced a new Bluetooth headset into its range - the Sense.
So what makes this so special? Well it’s Bluetrek’s first touch-sensitive headset, which would make it much easier to use.
The Sense weighs only 8g and is 5cm in length, and if you still think it’ll be an eyesore on the side of your head, it also has a mirror-like black finish.
As for actual features, the Sense has a dual-coloured LED display and a Voice Alert feature telling you which function you’ve chosen.
The ear hook that comes with it is designed for specs wearers who need help keeping the device in their ear.
Bluetrek’s Sense should be available in early 2008, costing around £49.99.
[Via Pocket-Link]
Sony Ericsson’s much-anticipated new ‘iPhone killer’, the W960i is still getting a delayed launch early next year, but sadly it won’t come with a Bluetooth headset.
At least that’s what rumours are saying after a white paper was released on a Sony Ericsson developer website.
When the W960i was first announced it was trumpeted as coming with a boxed Bluetooth headset (the DS220), as well as wired stereo handsfree earphones. This would have been a neat idea, offering a choice of how you wanted to listen to your music from your phone.
Unfortunately, it seems Sony Ericsson has changed its mind after all and won’t include the headset in the sales package. Presumably this was due to the cost. Here’s hoping Sony Ericsson changes its mind.
[Via Cell Addict Blog]
Seriously this is weird. When I was a tyke I wished my life away for some sort of remote controlled skateboard but despite flawless behavior all year (well almost flawless), Santa wasn’t able to produce said article from his magical gift sack.
Perhaps this year I will have more luck however as a fantastic new useless but cool product called GroundSurf is set to release. The big boy’s toy modern travel solution is essentially a full size working motorized skateboard that can be operated with your mobile phone via Bluetooth. Using an application that you install on your phone, you can remotely control the speed of your skateboard as you merrily ride on it to Tesco’s.
If this is not the most awesome use for Bluetooth yet then we don’t know what is. In fact, never mind owning one of these things, I’d be happy with the opportunity for ten minutes alone with a GroundSurf in an abandoned car park (that sounds dirty but trust me it’s not). Santa, if you’re listening!?!
(Via THECELLFREAK)
Sony Ericsson’s flagship ‘iPhone killer’ W960i isn’t appearing on these shores before Christmas.
With Apple’s iPhone and Nokia’s N95 8GB battling it out in the coming weeks, Sony Ericsson has taken the decision to delay the W960i’s launch until the new year.
According a Sony Ericsson marketing person, the phone will now be released in January due to the “crowded market” for phones before Christmas.
This is a shame as the device promised great things. While Sony Ericsson’s move seems like a sensible one when there’s so much competition, it is taking a chance that die-hard Sony Ericsson fans will be patient enough to sit out Christmas and resist the temptation to get an iPhone or Nokia N95 8GB.
The device certainly could be Sony Ericsson’s biggest Walkman phone yet. It boasts 8GB of on-board memory, a 2.6-inch touchscreen with the Symbian OS, a 3.2-megapixel camera, wi-fi and a new HBH-DS200 Bluetooth Stereo headset in the box.
Compared to the iPhone, it’s slightly shorter but thicker and is also lighter. The screen isn’t as good on the W960i, but it has a much better camera and 3G web browsing.
[Via Pocket Lint]
If you feel like you’re missing out on the sat nav revolution and you don’t have one of the latest handsets, or you haven’t shelled out for an in-car product, don’t worry. German company Jentro is bringing sat nav to the masses with its MyMobileSatNav product.
MyMobileSatNav has a small GPS receiver and connects to almost all Java and Bluetooth-equipped mobile phones. It works just the same as any other GPS product with voice instructions and maps directing the user to their destination. It also has camera alerts and traffic congestion routing (obviously this particular feature isn’t so useful if you’re on foot).
It’s also dead cheap. Most other sat nav products cost hundreds of pounds and charge monthly subscription fees on top. MyMobileSatNav costs £39.99 from The Carphone Warehouse for a starter package offering one months’ unlimited free usage, after which it will cost either £4.99 for a monthly subscription, or 79p for single journeys.
According to the folks over at Mobile Marketing Bulletin, a company called Bluepod Media is set to launch a new mobile marketing network in Vue and Cineworld cinemas as well as assorted Lend Lease operated shopping centres up and down the country.
The interesting part is that Bluepod Media is going to use hardware that can communicate with mobiles via Bluetooth over a radius of up to 100m. Basically as you pass by one of the advert points you will receive a prompt asking you whether you agree to view the ad, after which the ad is beamed directly to your handset.
Considering the sort of rich content that can be streamed over a Bluetooth frequency, there is a good chance that these adverts will be quite flashy. According to Bluepod Media’s chief executive Stephan Hohmann, the hardware required to send the ads is no bigger than a hard back book and only requires a power outlet to work.
Sounds interesting to us, though could get a tad annoying if there were multiple ads within a single cinema or shopping centre.
(Via TheFoneCast)
Spotted on the (US telecoms regulator) FCC website by Mobile Whack, above is Nokia’s hot new GPS module, the LD-4W. By synching the unit up to compatible handsets you’ll be able to add GPS functionality to your phone. Not bad, hey? No word yet, of course, on pricing or which handsets it’ll work with, but with regulatory approval granted the module can’t be far from release.
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